Description of ike Vulture of Pondtcherry,. 359 



the exjkosed surface will become comparatively dull ; and on 

 removing the varnish from the f)ther parts they \\ ill ap- 

 pear to have undergone some process bv which thcv have 

 received a higher polish than glass usually .exhibits : for the 

 parts acted upon, though really dulled a little, will still ap- 

 pear transparent if the process has not beca carried too far. 



LXVI. Description of the Vulture of Pandlcherrv . J^y 

 F. M. D^vuDiN *. 



Xt is not only easy to separate the vultures from other 

 birds of prey because they have the head or neck bare of 

 feathers, but they may be subdivided also into several sec- 

 tions, as some of them have cai-uncles while others are un- 

 provided with them. 



The inost remarkable species are met with among those 

 of the first section, but the one which hitherto seems most 

 worthy of the attention of ornithologists is the Oricou vul- 

 ture, discovered by Levaillant in Africa ; for the aperture of 

 its ears is surrounded by a membranous caruncle, four lines 

 in height, nearly similar to an external car, and which de- 

 scends downwards on each side of the neck. The head and 

 neck of this bird, very well preserved, may be seen in Le- 

 yaillant's collection. 



Sonnerat also discovered at Pondicherry another vulture 

 so similar to the oricou in size, dimensions, and principal 

 characters, that several naturalists have been of opinion 

 that this vulture of Bengal might be the female of the ori- 

 cou, foi" on each side of the neck and a little below the ear 

 it has a membranous caruncle turned downwards ; but as 

 these two vultures exhibit other differences more striking I 

 Ijave thought it proper to consider these birds as .two ):in- 

 4rcd species f- 



'l"hc vulture of Pondicherry .differs from the .oricou de- 

 scribed by Levaillant, 1st, By its caruncles, which are 

 placed below the ear; 2d, By its face, furnished with stiff 

 hairs, which surrouud the tympanum, covej Uje cheeks, 

 ,'uid are proportiouably logger than on the neck : 3dj By its 

 breas^t, covered with ash-eulourcd silvery down, short and 

 compact; 4th, by thcwhitedowny cravat placed on each side 



■■'■ From Annalrs clu M'urum National d' ftnloirr Naniyrlli', No. 4.. 



t Levaillant, Hisroirc Naiurclle dcs Oibcaux ci'Africiuc, pi. 9 Daii- 

 xlin, Traiic d'Ornithologie, vol. ii. pi. jo. Vautour Oricou {Fiiliiir 

 iiUUiul^tris), p. II. Vautour dc Pondichcrrv (^f^:<Utir />onlicerui/iits). 



Z4 ^-f 



