78 Mr. E. C. Taylor on the Birds uf the West Indies. 



was the number of Black Vultures that swarm all over the town. 

 There they are, on the roofs of the houses, expanding their wings 

 in the sun, or in the streets, on the look-out for any scraps of 

 food that may suit their taste. They live apparently on the best 

 of terms with the fowls and chicken, which seem not at all 

 afraid of them, and with reason, for I believe that this species of 

 Vulture never by any chance attempts to prey on any living 

 thing. So very tame and familiar are they, that I have often 

 poked them with my stick or umbrella as I walked along the 

 streets. 



In Trinidad all Vultures are indiscriminately called Corbeaux, 

 and the quartier of Port of Spain where the slaughter-houses 

 are situated is distinguished by the name of Corbeau Town. 

 How, where, and when these birds breed in Trinidad is a mys- 

 tery I was unable to solve. The whole time I was there the 

 town swarmed with them, and they roosted at night in the trees 

 in the gardens and squares. I was, moreover, assured that they 

 remain in equal numbers all the year round ; yet no one could 

 tell me anything about the time of year they breed, or seemed 

 to know what the eggs or young were like. I found this spe- 

 cies very abundant all over Trinidad and the parts of Venezuela 

 I visited, especially in the neighbourhood of the towns and vil- 

 lages. Neither this nor any other species of Vulture occurs in 

 any of the islands between Trinidad and St. Thomas, — not even, 

 I believe, in Tobago, and certainly in none of the others. Porto 

 Rico is also quite Vultureless. In Jamaica I am informed that 

 Cathartes aura is the only species *. As regards St. Domingo 

 and Cuba, I can give no information on the great Vultui'c ques- 

 tion. The irides of C. atratus are brown. 



^ 2. Cathartes aura. Turkey Buzzard. 



This species is not very numerous in Trinidad, where it avoids 

 the towns and keeps to the open country. It is a much hand- 

 somer and cleaner-looking bird than the preceding species, and 

 may be distinguished from it at a glance when on the wing by 

 its less flapping and more graceful flight. It is generally to be 

 seen skimming just over the tree-tops, as though it were trying 



* Cathartes atratus has also lately made its appearance as a straggler 

 in Jamaica (see Proc. Acad. Philad. 1863). — Ed. 



