THE MUSEUM. 



THE MUSEUM. 



A Monthly Magazine devoted to Ornithology, 



Oology, Mollusca, Echinodermata, 



Mineralogy and Allied 



Sciences. 



Walter F. Webb, Editor and Manager 

 Albion. N. Y. 



Corr»»spondence and It^ms of Interest ou above top- 

 ics. a.< well a.s notes on the various Museums of the 

 Worlil— views from san>e. discoveries relative to the 

 hanilllnc and keeping of Natural History material, 

 desi-nptlve habits of various species, are solicited 

 from all. 



Make articles as brief as possible and as free from 

 te<hnlcal terms as the subjects will allow. All letters 

 will be promptly answered. 



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Vultures. 



It is a fact well known among well 

 informed people and especially among 

 the ranks of American ornithologists, 

 that the genus Cathartes is well repre- 

 sented south of the Mason-Dixon line. 

 In consideration of the fact that the 

 major portion of my obserbations have 

 been in the Lone Star State, I shall 

 in this brief sketch adhere strictly to 

 notes made in Texas. But Texas is a 

 huge state within the bounds of which 

 half a dozen New England states could 

 be deposited and still not be crowded. 

 In all this vast territory lying between 

 the Red River and the Rio Grande, 

 the Panhandle and the Gulf of Mexico, 

 my favorite oological collecting ground 

 is in those counties forming the most 

 southern point of the state — that sec- 

 tion commonly spoken of as southern 

 or southwestern Texas. Here few are 

 the hours when several vultures may 

 not be seen sailing high overhead, 

 scanning the earth and things thereon 



as only vultures can scan and scenting 

 as only vultures can scent. And their 

 valuable services as scavengers are in- 

 dispensable. Both species are resi- 

 dent and abundant; the Black variety 

 is, however, largely in the majority. 

 Of their habits and idiosyncrasies it is 

 not necessary for me to speak for who 

 is it that does not know the duty of a 

 "vulgar buzzard.'" My notes on nidi- 

 fication for the year 1896 happen to 

 be before me — or rather a portion of 

 them — and among them I find data 

 concerning thirteen nests of the Black 

 \'ulture. Tabulated, they are as fol- 

 lows: 



March 6, 1896. Two fresh eggs de- 

 posited on leaves by the side of an old 

 log, the fork of which formed a V 

 around the eggs. The log was lying 

 near a small arroya. The birds were 

 seen. Refugio Co., Texas. 



March 8, 1S96. Two fresh eggs de- 

 posited in cavity of hollow tree. En- 

 trance five feet from ground. Birds 

 were on the eggs. Refugio Co., Tex. 



March 16, 1896. Two eggs in which 

 incubation had begun, deposited in 

 cavity of hollow tree. Entrance nine 

 feet from ground. The birds were 

 seen. Refugio Co., Texas. 



March 12, 1896. Two fresh eggs 

 laid on ground without sign of nest. 

 The birds were seen. Refugio Co., 

 Texas. 



March 20, 1896. Two eggs in 

 which incubation was started, deposit- 

 ed in hollow tree. Aperture ten feet 

 from ground. The hollow was almost 

 full of water from heavy rains but the 

 bird was incubating the eggs neverthe- 

 less. Refugio Co., Texas. 



March 29, 1896. Two fresh eggs 

 deposited on bare ground in brushy 

 motte of trees in a field. Not far from 

 a small arroya. Bird was sitting on 

 the eggs. Refugio Co. ; Texas. 



March 29, 1896. Two eggs in which 

 incubation had started, laid on bare 

 ground in small hollow in face of rocky 

 cliff facing arroya Medio. Birds were 

 seen. Refugio Co., Texas. 



April 20, 1 896. Two fresh eggs de- 



