338 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Genus PSEUDOGRYPHUS, Ridgway. 

 Cathartes, AircT. (in part.) 



Gen. Char. Size very large, and aspect vulturine. Head much elongated, with regular 



outlines; the entire head and neck bare 

 of feathers, the skin faintly wrinkled, but 

 free from corrugations or caruncles. Nos- 

 tril small, occupying only the posterior 

 third, or less, of the nasal orifice, its an- 

 terior end acute. Plumage beginning at 

 the bottom of the neck in a ruff of lan- 

 ceolate, acuminate feathers, these con- 

 tinued over the breast and abdomen. 

 Wings very large, the primaries and sec- 

 ondaries well developed, the former lon- 

 gest, and reaching to, or beyond, the end 

 of the tail ; fourth or fifth quill longest ; 

 outer five with inner webs appreciably 

 Pseudogryphus caiifornianus. >^ nat. size. smuated. i ail even, bexes alike. 



The single species composing this very distinct genus belongs to Western 

 North America, and, so far as known, has the most restricted distribution of 

 any large raptorial bird in the world. It is remarkable for its very large 

 size, all its dimensions nearly, if not quite, equalling those of the famed 

 Condor of the Andes (Sarcorhamphus gryphus). 



Pseudogryphus californianus (Shaw). 



CALIFORNIA CONDOR, OR VULTURE. 



Vultur californianus, Shaw, Nat. Misc. IV, pi. ccci, 1797 ; Zool. VII, 10, 1809. —Lath. 

 Syn. Supp. II, 3, 1802 ; Ind. Orn. Supp. 2 ; Gen. Hist. I, 7. —James. (Wils.) Am. 

 Orn. IV, 259, 1831. — Dougl. Zool. Journ. IV, 328 ; Isis, 1831, 110. — Reich. Prakt. 

 Nat. Vog. p. 18. Cathartes californianus, Cuv. Reg. An. (ed. 2), I, 316, 1829. — 

 Bonaparte, Ann. Lye. N. Y. II, 221 ; Isis, 1832, 1135 ; List, 1 ; Consp. Av. 9. — 

 Swains. Classif. B. II, 206, 1837. — Ranz. Elem. di Zool. Ill, 23. —Gray, Gen. B. 

 sp. 3, pi. ii. — De Kay, Zool. N. Y. II, 3, 1844. — Nutt. Man. I, 39, 1833. — Aun. 

 Birds Am. pi. ccccxxvi, 1831; Orn. Biog. V, 240; Synop. p. 2, 1839. — Brew. 

 (Wils.) Synop. p. 832, 1852. — Peale, U. S. ExpL Exp. VIII, 58. — Strickl. Orn. 

 Syn. I, 3, 1855. — Kaup, Thierr. p. 229. — Cassin, Birds N. Am. 1858, 5. — Heerm. 

 P. R. R. Rept. II, 29, 1855.— Newb. P. R. R. Rept. VI, 73, 1857. -Coop. & Suck. 

 XII, ii, 141, 1860. — CoTJES, Prod. Orn. Ariz. p. 6, 1866. — Gray, Hand List, I, 3, 

 1869. — Taylor, Hntchins's Gala. Mag. Ill, 1859, 537 (fig. of egg and young). — Gur- 

 ney. Cat. Rapt. B. 1864, 39. — Sclat. P. Z. S. 1866, 366 (with fig. from life) ; 1868, 

 183 (fig. of young from life, same specimen).— Coues, Key, 1872, 222. Catharista cali- 

 fornianus. Gray, List B. Brit. Mus. p. 4, 1844. Sarcorhamphus californicus, Steph. 

 ZooL XIII, 6, 1815. —ViG. Zool. Journ. II, 375. — Rich. & Swains. F. B. A. II, 1, 

 1831. —Light. Orn. Calif, p. 8, pi. i. Cathartes vulturinus, Temm. PI. Col. 31, 1820. 

 — Less. Man. Orn. VII, 10, 1828. 



Sp. Char. Wing, 30.00-35.00; tail, 15.00-18.00; culmen, about 1.50; length of 

 head, 6.50-7.00; tarsus, about 4.50 - 5.00 ; middle toe, 4.00-4.50; outer, 3.10 ; inner, 



