THE TUEKEY VULTURE. 165 



Ridgway, near Mount Carnicl, Illinois, May G, IHTS. No. 2ir)74, from a set of 

 two (PI. 4, Fio-. 3), was taken near Uchester, Maryland, on May 30, 1884, by 

 Mr. C. W. Beckham. 



59. Catharista atrata (Bartkam). 



BLACK VULTURE. 



Vulhir airafus Bartram, Travels in Carolina, 1793, 285. 

 Catharista atrata Gray, Hantllung 1, 1SG9, 3. 



(B 3, C 366, R 455, C 538, U 326). 



Geographical range: Whole of tropical and warm temperate America, south 

 to Argentina Reijublic and Chile, nortli regularly to North Carolina and Lower Mis- 

 sissippi Valley, western Texas ; irregularly or casually to Maine, New York, Ohio, 

 Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, and South Dakota. 



The Black Vulture or Carrion Crow has a much more restricted distribution 

 than the preceding' species. It is less roving than the former and is generally 

 a constant resident wherever found, except in the extreme northern portion of 

 its raiiiie. It is also far more abundant on the seaboard than in the interior. 



The breeding range of this Vulture may be defined as follows: On the Atlan- 

 tic coast, fnnii southern North Carolina, southward through the South Atlantic 

 and CJulf States. In the interior it has been found breeding in both southern 

 Indiana and soutliern Illinois, Imt seems to be very irregularly distributed. It 

 occasionalh' straggles into southern Ohio, and specimens have been taken in 

 New York, and even in Maine. It has also been found breeding in Kansas, but 

 on a single occasion onK', as far as known. In Texas it is a summer resident 

 in the central and western parts of the State, and in th-e southern portions 

 it is found throughout the year. 



^Ir. William Lloyd found it breeding- near San Angelo, Tom Green 

 Countv, in June, 1884, and he writes me in this connection as follows: "A 

 strange haljit of both the Black and the Turkey Vulture in western Texas is 

 the fact that though abundant in smumer, in winter we are left without a single 

 one. This is not due to lack of carrion, for e\"ery winter the ])lace is full of 

 dead cattle, nor to temperature, for here in Presidio County it rarely freezes. 

 The altitude, too, is rather less than in ( 'oncho County and the Staked Plains, 

 where the same state of affairs obtains. Then why is it that this bird, and 

 especially the Turkey- Vulture, which is well known to winter much farther 

 north in other regions, is entirely absent from the bend of the Rio Grande and 

 the Concho Valley during this season?" 



The Black Vulture is oidy common in the southern parts of tlu' United 

 States, usually outnumbering the Turkey Vulture near the seashore and l)eing 

 viutnumbered by the latter in the interior. It rarely breeds north of lati- 

 tude 3tJ°. 



In its habits it differs but little from the Tin-key Vulture. It is not nearly 

 so graceful a bird on the wing as the latter, its flight lieing mui-h heavier and 

 apparently laborious, and is accompanied by considerable flai)i)iug ot the wings. 



