500 



PREYING BIRDS — RAPTORES. 



with a (lull white fine down ; the beak was horn-colored, — the skin of the 

 head and neck entirely bare of down, and of an oehreous yellow, — the color 

 of the legs a deeper shade of that of the body ; it had the musky smell of 

 the old birds ; the size and appearance similar to that of a two-month old 

 o-osling ; it had only been dead a couple of hours." In the following points 

 ]\Ir. Taylor's description of the bird differs from that of others : " MaJc, with 

 bright lemon-yellow head and upper neck. Female, with dark coppery oli\-e 

 head and neck, covered with feathery down on head and most of the neck ; 

 both birds about same weight." This pair, killed in July and Xo\-ember, 

 were probably young birds of the year, as they had horn-colored bills, while, 

 according to Douglas, the bill becomes yellow, and the head deep orange, 

 the neck brownish yellow with blue tints. (Douglas described also from 

 fresh specimens, as did Townsend, whose accounts were quoted liy Nuttall 

 and Audubon.) The female, however, retains a darker hue of head and 

 neck through life, and also, as observed liy Taylor, a row of black spots on 

 the white jiortion of wing-feathers. From its size, Douglas's specimen must 

 have lieen a female, and he states that the sexes are alike in colors, proljably 

 from observation. " Dr. Canfield tells me that he has seen as many as one 

 hundred and fifty at one time and place, in the vicinity of antelopes he 

 had killed ; he in-\-ariably observed that they sighted their prey." " It is 

 often killed by feeding on animals, such as liears, when poisoned with 

 strychnine by the rancheros ; the poisoned meat kills them readily. The 

 rancheros have very little fear of their depredations on young cattle, though 

 it has been within my knowledge for five or six to attack a young calf, 

 separate it from its mother and kill it ; tlie Californians also say they are 

 often known to kill lambs, hares, and raljljits." 



" A larn-e grizzly bear being killed, the '\'a(iuero left it on the plains near 

 the sea-shore, to return to the house, aliout three miles distant, for assistance 

 in sldnning the animal. Before his return, which was in aliout two hours, a 

 flock of vidtures had cleaned the entire carcass of its flesh and A'iscera, 

 leaving nothing but the skin and skeleton." 



"Tlie 'condors' and turkey-buzzards often feed together over the same 

 carcass, and generally in such cases do some fighting and lilting ; they may 

 sometimes be seen soaring and circling together in the air. 



" JMany of them make their nests in the high mountains east and south 

 of the Carmelo YaUey, and also near Santa Cruz, and in the Santa Lucia 

 Eange, where they may be seen at all seasons of the year, but in greater 

 numliers from July to November. These huge creatures may often be seen 

 fighting each other over a carcass on the lieach ; generally striking with 

 their outstretched wings, and running along the ground like the commiin 

 turkey-buzzard. 



" A few days ago we got within about seventy yards of a number of the 



