CATHARTW.E—CArHARTIXyE: AMERICAX VULTURES. 701 



Gyparchus papa, which probably occurs in Arizona, and species of three North American 

 genera, compose tlie family. It is divisible into two subfamilies, mainly according to the 

 presence or absence of caruncular excrescences on the head. 



Subfamily SARCORHAMPHIN/E : Condors and King Vultures. 



A Heshy comb or crest surmounting the base of the beak, or also arising from the fore- 

 head, with or witliout an additional fleshy wattle or dewlap. Bill very stout, with short cere. 

 In the $ Condor, the comb runs up on the head from the bill, and the throat is dewlapped, 

 something like the domestic Turkey's; these appendages arc wanting in the 9. The size 

 is great, though hardly surpassing that of Psei(do(/ri/])lii(s californianus ; the neck is collared 

 with white cottony down where the leathers begin; and the point of tlie primaries overreaches 

 the secondaries in the closed wing. 



CiYPA'GUS. (Gr. yv^, fji^ps, a vulture; and ay6s. agos, a leader, ruler, chief. Tlie word is 

 well enough, and need not have been altered to Gijparchiis by Glogeu in 1842.) Kixo \v\,- 

 TURES. Comb small, confined to the short cere of the stout bill; no wattle or dewlaji. Wings 

 short ; secondaries reaching ends of primaries when closed. Size medium for the family ; 

 small for this subfamily ; sexes alike. One species. 



G. pa'pa. (Lat. papa, father, the pope.) KiN(> VuLTURE. COZCACOAUHTL. Head and 

 upper neck naked of true feathers, the skin much wrinkled, on the hind head pinched up into 

 a sort of comb and extensively beset witli black bristles ; the fleshy excrescence on the bill 

 tumid, erected from a contracted base, like a polypus ; no cottony white collar on the neck, the 

 plumage there beginning in a rufl" of ordinary feathers, of a blackish ctdor ; a bare area on the 

 chest, over the crop. General [)lumage cream-colored or pale buff above, below white, with a 

 creamy or tawny tinge ; rump and whole tail, with its coverts, and most of the wings, black. 

 I)ill and naked parts of head and neck curiously variegated with black, blue, red, orange and 

 yellow ; iris white. Young, simply sooty brown, lacking also the harlerpiin visage of tlie old 

 birds. Length about 2| feet; wing 19.50 inches ; tail 10.00. Eggs white, about 3.70 X 2.G5. 

 Tropical continental America, X. probably over the border of Arizona. The supposed occur- 

 rence rests upon my own evidence, and is not conclusive ; but I have never doubted that I saw 

 a ]iiiir of these birds on the San Francisco (Verde) River, July 1.3, 1865 : see CouES, Pr. Phila. 

 Acad. 1866, p. 49, and Bull. Nutt. Club, Oct. 1881, p. 248 ; compare also the Sacred Vulture 

 ascribed to Florida by Bartram, Trav. 1791, p. 150; Allen, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoiil. ii. 

 1^71, p. 313. I now first take the species into the K<'y, as it lias been placed on tlie A. <>. I'. 

 List, Hypothetical No. 12. 



Subfamily CATHARTIN/E: Turkey Vultures. 



No Heshy excrescences on the head in eitlier sex. Bill leiiirtheiied and comparatively 

 weak, with the cere longer than tlie rest of the iip[)cr niiiniliblr. 



Anali/sis of Generti. 



Head ami neck entirely naked ; tail Br|iiare ■" 



Head and uiipcr piirt of neck naked ; tail rounded '.« 



Head naked, l)ut featliers runuiug up to it behind ; tail iw|uaro ' '•» 



I'SKUDOGRYTHUS. (Gr. "iTfvdos, p><eiuIos, false; Lat. //n/y*//*/*-, a gritlin ) Caliiokniax 

 CoNUOR. Size immense, about ecpialliiig that of the Andean Cond<ir. Head and neck entirely 

 bare, smooth, without caruncular appendages. No cervical nitr of snowy, downy featiiers; 

 plumage beginning over siioulders with loo.sc laiice-liiiear feathers, and that of under parts 

 generally of similar character. Frontal region de|tressed below h'Vt-l of iiitlateil cere, but gen- 

 eral profile straiglitish from hook of bill to hind head. Bill wide and de«'p, comparatively little 



