10 



VULTURID.E. 



beak to the end of the tail is from tweuty-six to twenty-nine 

 inches. The beak is black ; the cere yellow ; the irides red ; 

 the naked skin of the cheeks and front of the neck yellowish 

 flesh-colour ; the feathers of the occiput and back of the 

 neck slightly elongated : all the plumage white except the 

 primary and secondary wing-feathers, the first of which are 

 wholly black ; the second have the proximal half black, — 

 which colour, extending beyond the ends of the great wing- 

 coverts, forms by its exposure a dark band across the middle 

 of the wdng ; the remaining portion of the secondaries white ; 

 the tail is graduated, the feathers of the middle being the 

 longest ; the legs and toes pale flesh-colour ; the claws black. 



The young bird has the base of the bill yellow- ; the point 

 black ; irides reddish-brown ; the naked skin of the cheeks 

 and front of the neck livid grey ; the general colour of the 

 plumage dark brown, with a few light-coloured feathers, and 

 the edges of others indicating the approach to maturity ; 

 great quill-feathers black ; legs and toes greyish-brown ; 

 claws black. 



The woodcut at the head of this article represents an 

 adult, and that on the preceding page an immature bird 

 of this species. The subjoined figure shows the sternal 

 apparatus, the posterior portion of which is subject to some 

 variation, as well in outline as in the presence or absence of 

 the foramen by which it is pierced. The specimen from 

 which this figure is drawn possesses a foramen on the right 

 side but none on the left. 



