162 [February, 



known fact that the spccirs of Cathartcs arc amcng;st the most confidaiit and 

 familiar of birds, and that such disposition seems also to extend to Sarcoramphus. 

 In a note to " Remarks on the Birds observed in Upper California," by Dr. 

 William Gambcl, in Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philada. new series, ((Juarto) Vol. i. 

 p. 25, he mentions having seen at Valparaiso a specimen of the Condor so com- 

 pletely domesticated that it was allowed to roam the city at large, and so entirely 

 docile that it offered no resistance to being handled, and would even permit the 

 caresses of children, or their attempting to get upon its back. " In fact," he con- 

 tinues, " I think I have never met with any bird which exhibited more tameness 

 or greater confidence in man than this large Condor." 



After first premising that in all matters relating to Natural History I am a 

 strict circularian of the school of MacLeay, Vigors and Swaiiison, I beg leave 

 to present the following as my views of the classification of the subfamilies of 

 Vulturidee. 



1. Typical, Vulturin<T. 



2. Subtypical, Gypinar. 



3. Natatorial, Gypaetinae. 



4. Grallatorial, Neophrinae. 

 .'5. Rasorial, Sarcoramphin?p. 



8. The collection of this Academy contains, probably, all the known Vultures. 

 The only exceptions being, first, the species labelled " Gyps toiuiiroslris, Hodg.?" 

 it is possible may not be that bird; and second, a bird figured in Brown's Illus- 

 trations of Zoology, pi. 1, London, 177G, which is Falco ambustus, Gm., and 

 Vultur ambustus (Gm.) of Latham, and said to inhabit the Falkland Islands, is 

 not in the collection. 1 suspect, however, that the latter is not truly a Vulture, 

 though it is difficult to determine from the plate above cited. 



There are exhibited in the collection of the Academy sixty-eight specimens of 

 Vultures, which represent nineteen species, including as species the Gyps indicus, 

 (Temm.) G. Kolbii, (Daud.) and G. tenuirostris, Hodg. 



The Committee on Dr. S. G. Morton's paper, entitled " Additional 

 observations on a new species of Hippopotamus," reported in favor o( 

 publication in the Journal of the Academy. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS AND CORRESPONDENTS. 



Francis Curney Smith, M. D., and Prof. William E. Horner, ol 

 Philadelphia, were elected Members, and the following gr-ntlemen 

 elected Correspondents : 



Henry W. Ravenel,. Fsq., of Black Oak, South Carolina, 

 iMyddleton Michel, M. D., of Charleston, South Carolina. 



i'uncdion.— Vo\ I . aralus, p. 154, 16lh line •'rom lop, icad ('. plciiroplioius. 



