VULTURID^ — THE VULTURES — CATHARTES. 497 



Bill yellowish ; hoad and neck orange-yellow and red (drying lirown). A seniicireiilar 

 spot of .short blaek feathers at base of upper mandible, and a few scattered hair-like feath- 

 ers on other parts of the head. Ruft"of long lanceolate feathers extending on to breast. 



Length, 45,00 to 5G.00 ; extent, about 100.00; wing, 30.00 to 3.).00 ; tail, 15.00 to 18.00. 

 Iris carmine (hazel in young female) ; feet and tarsi bluish-black (dirty white in male, 

 Taylor.) 



Hall. Western North America, to lat. 49=". (Douglas.) 



This lai'ge bird, .sueond in .size only to the condor of South America, among 

 the Eajitores, appeai'.s to be limited to the western part of tlie United States, 

 not liaving been yet obtained in Mexico, and rarely north of the Columbia 

 Eiver. 



It is most abundant in the hot interior valleys of California, where the 

 large herds of cattle furnish abundance of food; but I saw none along the 

 Colorado, or east of the San Bernardino Mountains, the scarcity of large 

 animals there being a barrier to their migration, although from their lofty 

 flight and extensi\-e vision they probably sometimes see a dead or sickly 

 antelope and follow it to the more desert regions of the State, in which they 

 may find also some mountain sheep. The cattle killed at Fort Mojave 

 attracted but two turkey-ljuzzards there during five months, and no vul- 

 tures. 



I have not seen many of these birds along the sea-coast where most of my 

 later collections were made, and none on the islands or in the highest 

 Sierra Nevada. Tliey are said, however, when other food is scarce, to feed 

 on dead seals and whale meat, though I have not seen them do so. 



At Monterey I saw in Dr. Canfield's possession a full-grown living speci- 

 men, which he had raised from the nest. Being fed on fresh meat, it had 

 no offensive smell, and its plumage was clean and shining. It was gentle 

 and familiar, but stupid, spending most of its time dozing on the fence. 



The following are Douglas's remarks on this bird in the " Zoiilogical 

 Joui'ual," Vol. IV., as quoted by Audubon, omitting some incorrect parts : — 



" Food, carrion, dead fish, or other dead animal matter. In no instance 

 wiU they attack any Living animal, nnless wounded and unal)le to walk. 

 Their senses of smelling and seeing are very acute. In searching for pi'ey 

 they soar to a very great altitude, and when they discover a wounded deer 

 or other animal they follow its track, and when it sinks, precipitately 

 descend on their ol)ject. Although only one is seen at first occupying the car- 

 cass, few minutes elapse before the prey is surrounded by great numbers, and 

 it is then devoured to a skeleton within an hour, even though it be one of 

 the larger animals, as the elk or horse. Their voracity is almost insatiable, 

 and they are extremely ungenerous, suffering no other animal to approach 

 them while feeding. After eating they become so sluggish and indolent as 

 to remain in the same ]ilace until urged by hunger to go in quest of another 

 C3 



