CATHARTID^ — THE AMERICAN VULTURES. 351 



Catharista atrata (Bartram). 



CAKKION CROW; BLACK VULTURE. 



ViMur atraius, Bartram, Trav. Carol. 285, 1792. — Meyer, Zool. Ann. I, 290. — Ord 

 (WiLS.) Am. Orn. pi. Ixxv, f. 2. — AuD. Birds Am. pi. cvi. — Brkwst. Ed. Joum. Sc. 

 Ser. 1, VI, 156. Catlmrtcs atratus, Less. Man. Orn. I, 73, 1828. —Rich. & Swains. 

 F. B. a. II, 6, 1831. — Darw. Joum. Res. p. 68 ; Zool. Beag. pt. iii, p. 7. — Swains. 

 Classif. B. II, 206. — James. (Wils.) Am. Orn. I, 10.— Brewer (Wils.) Am. Orn. 

 Synop. Birds Am. p. 682. — Ib. N. A. Oologj'. — AuD. Synop. Birds Am. p. 3. 

 — Bridg. Proc. Zool. Soc. pt. xi, p. 108 ; Am. Nat. Hist. Xlll, 498. — Bonap. 

 Cbnsp. p. 9. — De Kay, Zool. N. Y. II, 3. — Reich. Prakt. Nat. Vog. p. 27. — Cass. 

 Bird N.Am. 1858, 5. — Coues, Key, 1872, 222. Catharista atratus, Gray, Hand 

 List, I, 1869, 3, No. 16. Vultur aura nigcr j3, Kerr, Transl. Gmel. 473, 1792, 

 Vtdticr aura (not of Linn !), Datjd. Tr. Orn. II, 19 (quotes PL Enl. 187, 1800). 

 Vultur iiriihu, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. pl. ii, 1807. — Lath. Gen. Hist. I, 14. 

 Cathartes xirubu, Less. Tr. Orn. p. 27, 1831. — D'Orb. Voy. Am. Merid. Ois. p. 31, 

 pl. i. Percnoptcrus uruhu, Steph. Zool. XIII, 7, pl. xxxi, 1826. Vultur iota, 

 Jard. (Wils.) Am. Orn. Ill, 226, 1832. —Ord (Wils.) Am. Orn. (ed. 2). Neo- 

 phron iota, Cuv. Reg. An. (ed. 2), I, 317, 1829. Cathartes iota, Bonap. Ann. Lye. 

 N. B. p. 23 ; Isis, 1832, p. 1135 ; List, p. 1.— King, Voy. Beag. I, 532. — Nutt. 

 Man. I, 46. — Peale, U. S. Expl. E.xp. VIII, 59. Cathartes fatens, Illig. Mus. 

 Berol. — Light. Verz. Doubl. p. 63, 1823. — Gray, Gen. B. sp. 1, pl. i, f. 3. — Max. 

 Beitr. Ill, 58. — Rich. Schomb. Faun. Brit. Guian. p. 742. — Cab. Av. Consp. Wieg. 

 Archiv, 1844, 262 ; Faun. Per. Orn. p. 71. — Hartl. Syst. Ind. Azar. p. 1. 



Sp. Char. Form heavy ; the wings and tail short, the latter square ; the remiges and 

 rectrices very hard and stiff. Bill strong, the mandibles broader than deep, and of about 

 equal depth, the terminal hook well developed ; upper and lower outlines of the cere paral- 

 lel, and nearly straight. Nostril narrow, its anterior end contracted and pointed. Wing, 

 17.00-17.50; tail, 7.50-8.50; culmen, .90 - .95 ; tarsus, 3.00; middle toe, 2.90; outer, 

 1.90; inner, 1.50; posterior, .75. 



Adult. Bill blackish, the point horny white ; naked skin of the head and upper part of 

 the neck blackish. Entire plumage continuous, perfectly uniform dull black ; primaries 

 becoming grayish basally (more hoary whitish on their under surface), their shafts pure 

 white for their whole length. 



$ (119.33, St. Simon's Island, Georgia; Dr. Wilson). Wing, 17.50; tail, 8.25. 



Hab. Tropical and warmer portions of America, especially near the sea-coast. 



Habits. The Black Vulture or Carrion Crow of the Southern States, 

 though found in a much less extended area than the Turkey Vulture, has yet 

 a very wide distribution. It is quite common along our Atlantic and Gulf 

 coasts from North Carolina to Mexico. It does not occur on the Pacific 

 coast of the United States, though given by Douglas as being abundant on 

 the Columbia Eiver ; indeed, it has not, that I am aware of, been detected 

 west of the Rocky Mountains. It is, however, as Dr. Gambel states, very 

 common about the Gulf of California, and at Mazatlan, particularly, he saw it 

 around the town in large companies. On the Atlantic coast it is not often 

 met with farther north than Wilmington, N. C. I could not detect it near 

 Norfolk, Va., nor could I ascertain that it was known ever to occur 

 there. Accidental specimens have been taken, two on the coast of Massa- 



