BLACK VULTURE. 21 



brown head, bill, and feet ; they go often in flocks, and roost together 

 upon trees. This species is very numerous, and is to be found in all the 

 different climates ; while on the contrary, the Cozcaquauhtli is far from 

 numerous, and is peculiar to the warmer climates alone.* The latter 

 bird is larger than the Zopilot, has a red head and feet, with a beak of 

 a deep red color, except towards its extremity, which -is white. Its 

 feathers are brown, except upon the neck and parts about the breast, 

 which are of a reddish black. The wings are of an ash color upon the 

 inside, and upon the outside are variegated with black and tawny. 



" The Cozcaquauhtli is called by the Mexicans, King of the Zopi- 

 lots;'\ and they say,- that when these two species happen to meet together 

 about the same carrion, the Zopilot never begins to eat till the Cozca- 

 quauhtli has tasted it. The Zopilot is a most useful bird to that coun- 

 try, for they not only clear the fields, but attend the crocodiles, and 

 destroy the eggs which the females of those dreadful amphibious animals 

 leave in the sand, to be hatched by the heat of the sun. The destruc- 

 tion of such a bird ought to be prohibited under severe penalties. "J 



"The Jota [Vultur jotd)," says the abb^ Molina, "resembles much 

 the Ay,ra, a species of vulture, of which there is perhaps but one va- 

 riety. It is distinguished, however, by the beak, which is gray with a 

 black point. Notwithstanding the size of this bird, which is nearly that 

 of the turkey, and its strong and crooked talons, it attacks no other, 

 but feeds principally upon carcasses and reptiles. It is extremely indo- 

 lent, and will frequently remain for a long time almost motionless, with 

 its wings extended, sunning itself upon the rocks, or the roofs of the 

 houses. When in pain, which is the only time that it is known to make 

 any noise, it utters a sharp cry like that of a rat ; and usually disgorges 

 what it has eaten. The flesh of this bird emits a fetid smell that is 

 highly offensive. The manner in which it builds its nest is perfectly 

 correspondent to its natural indolence ; it carelessly places between 

 rocks, or even upon the ground, a few dry leaves or feathers, upon which 

 it lays two eggs of a dirty white."§ 



The Black Vulture is twenty-six inches in length, and four feet eleven 

 inches in extent ; the bill is two inch^ and a half long, of a pale horn 

 color as far as near an inch, the remainder, with the head, and wrinkled 

 skin of the neck, a dirty scurfy black ; tongue similar to that of the 

 Turkey-buzzard ; nostril an oblong slit ; irides dark reddish hazel ; ears 

 sublunate ; the throat is dashed with yellow ochre in some specimens ; 



* This is a mistake. 



t This is the Vultur anra. The bird which now goes by the name of King of 

 ihc Zopilnis, in New Spain, is the Vulttir papa of Linnaeus. 



J"CIav!f;ero's Mexico, translated by Cullen, vol. i., p. 47, London. 

 J Hist. Chili, Am. trans, i., p. 185. 



