cherrie: urnithoeogy of the Orinoco region. 337 



purple, except occiput and back of neck which are primrose yellow, the 

 line between the two colors being abrupt and sharply drawn; feet pansy 

 purple. 



There is some slight variation in the shade and intensity of color- 

 ing but the above represents the average coloring of the head in this 

 species. There is no appreciable diiTerence in coloring between the 

 male and the female and the table of measurements indicates that 

 they are about equal in size. The plumage is black, in freshly 

 moulted specimens strongly washed with purplish (or steel blue) 

 and greenish bronze, the former predominating. As the feathers 

 grow old they bleach to a brownish shade, lightest along the edges 

 and at tip, but the light colored edges of the feathers never become 

 prominent as in the Turkey Vulture (C. aura scptentrionalis). Below, 

 on breast and belly, the bronzy greenish sheen is more pronounced. 

 The color of the shafts of the primaries below is white or yellowish 

 white; above it varies from a seal brown to the yellowish white of 

 old ivory, depending entirely on the age of the feather, freshly moulted 

 quills being seal brown. The skin of the head and neck is mostly 

 smooth, being transversely wrinkled on the nape and upper part of 

 back of neck only. The feathering does not ascend further on the 

 back of the neck than it does on the sides — there is no ruff. On the 

 lores there is a patch of short bristly black hairs, four or five spring- 

 ing from each papilla, a few about the auricular orifice and on the 

 side of the face below the eye, while they are sparsely scattered over 

 the throat and under side of the neck. In cabinet skins the tips of 

 the wings rarely reach to the end of the tail. Following is a list of 

 specimens examined, with measurements: 



iCrown patch, nape and back of neck cream yellow. 



