TURKEY VULTURE. 15 



ishment, freely give currency to every ridiculous tale, wliich the design- 

 ing or the credulous impose upon them. 



The Turkey Vulture is two feet and a half in length, and six feet two 

 inches in breadth ; the bill, from the corner of- the mouth, is almost two 

 inches and a half long, of a dark horn color, for somewhat more than 

 an inch from the tip, the nosti-il a remarkably wide slit or opening 

 through it ; the tongue is greatly concave, cartilaginous, and finely ser- 

 rated on its edges ; ears sub-cordate, eyes dark, in some specimens red- 

 dish hazel ; wrinkled skin of the head and neck reddish ; the neck not 

 so much caruncled as that of the Black Vulture ; from the hind-head to 

 the neck feathers, the space is covered with down, of a sooty black 

 color ; the fore part of the neck is bare as far as the breast bone, the 

 skin or the lower pai-t, or pouch, very much wrinkled, this naked skin is 

 not discernible without removing the plumage which arches over it ; the 

 whole lower parts, lining of the wings, rump and tail-coverts, are of a 

 sooty brown, the feathers of the belly and vent haii-y ; the plumage of 

 the neck is large and tumid, and, with that of the back and shoulders, 

 black ; the scapulars and secondaries are black on their outer webs, 

 skirted with tawny brown, the latter slightly tipped with white ; prima- 

 ries and their coverts plain brown, the former pointed, third primary 

 the longest ; coverts of the secondaries, and lessor coverts, tawny brown, 

 centred with black, some of the feathers, at their extremities, slightly 

 edged with white ; the tail is twelve inches long, rounded, of a brownish 

 black, and composed of twelve feathers, which are broad at their ex- 

 tremities ; inside of wings and tail light ash ; the wings reach to the 

 end of the tail ; the whole body and neck, beneath the plumage, are 

 thickly clothed with a white down, which feels like cotton ; the shafts of 

 the primaries are yellowish white above, and those of the tail brown, 

 both pure white below ; the plumage of the neck, back, shoulders, scap- 

 ulars and secondaries, is glossed with green and bronze, and has pui-ple 

 reflections ; the thighs are feathered to the knees ; feet considerably 

 webbed ; middle toe three inches and a half in length, and about an inch 

 and a half longer than the outer one, which is the next longest ; the sole 

 of the foot is hard and rough ; claws dark horn color ; the legs are of 

 a pale flesh color, and three inches long. The claws are larger, but the 

 feet slenderer, than those of the Carrion Crow. The bill of the male is 

 pure white, in some specimens the upper mandible is tipped with black. 

 There is little or no other perceptible diiference between the sexes. 



The bird from which the foregoing description was taken, was shot for 

 this work, at Great Egg-harbor, the thirtieth of January. It was a 

 female, in perfect plumage, excessively fat, and weighed five pounds one 

 ounce, avoirdupois. On dissection, it emitted a slight musky odor. 



The Vulture is included in the catalogue of those fowls declared un- 

 clean, and an abomination, by the Levitical constitution, and which the 



