inhabiting the South of Africa. 13 



ces the approach of maturity. As age advances, the front, and 

 from that the head, become covered with hair, and about the" 

 time when the white feathers begin to make their appearance, 

 the last named part, and more or less of the neck, exhibit 

 the mixed coating alluded to in speaking of the old bird. 



Obs. — Having never had an opportunity of comparing the 

 species just described with specimens of the Vultur Fulvus of 

 Europe, I follow the example of the illustrious Temminck* 

 in viewing them as identical. At the same time however, it 

 must be acknowledged, that a variety of circumstances concur 

 to create doubts as to the justness of the conclusion; such as — 

 In the Cape bird, the eyes in adult specimens, are light red- 

 dish or reddish yellow, in those of Europe, as stated by the 

 author just mentioned,! they are hazel; in ours the cere is 

 livid, in his it is flesh colored ; in ours the extreme length 

 rarely exceeds three feet eight inches, in his it usually 

 measures four feet; in ours the centre of the breast is covered 

 with short grayish brown feathers, in his with white down; 

 in ours the head is covered with a dirty dusky hair, in his 

 with short white down. In our young specimens the color is 

 dark brown, with reddish yellow variegations, in his a very 

 clear tawny, with grayish white blotches, or sometimes pure 

 white tints. The Chassfiente of Levaillant,§ is certainly an 

 immature example of the Cape species, and in or near that 

 stage in which the greatest number of South African speci- 

 mens are obtained. 



Its food consists of carrion and offal of every description, 

 and thus often life can scarcely be said to have left an animal 

 before it is consumed by a flock of Vultures. They build 

 their nests in crevices of rocks, lay one or two eggs, and 

 occur in great abundance throughout the whole of the South 

 of Africa. 



2. Vultur Auricularis. — Zivarte Aasvogel of the Colonists. 



_ Vultur Auriculatus, Shaw's Zoology, vol. 1, p. 24. V. Pon- 

 ticerianus, Shaw, vol. 7, p. 25, pi. 10, Temniinck, planch, vol. 2. 

 L'Oricou he Vaill. torn. \, pi. 1. 



V. fuscus seu nigrofuscus; collo nudo, cute auricular i pro - 

 ducta torque cervicali, purpuria aut rubra. 



Bill strong ; tip of upper mandible yellow ; rest of that and 

 the lower greenish yellow or horn color; cere bluish; eyes 

 dark brown; skin of head, and unfeathered portion of neck, 

 vermilion or livid purple, with white variegations ; the head 

 thinly covered with a brownish white down and some black 



* Manuel d'Omithogie, torn. 1, fol. 6, seconde edition. 



(} Les Oisseaux d'Afrique, par M. le Vaillant, torn. 1, fol. 44, 



