130 



THE VULTURE. 



Feeding, as Vultures do, on carrion, plunging their 

 beaks into putrid masses of decayed flesh, were they 

 covered with feathers like Eagles and Hawks, about their 

 heads and necks, they would soon become clotted with 

 gore, and be an incumbrance to the bird; accordingly 

 the head and lower part of the neck, in all the tribe, 

 are more or less covered either with down or wattles, 

 or the skin is left almost naked, as in the accompanying 

 figure 2. 



As may be well conceived from the nature of their 

 food, these birds are very disgusting in various ways, 

 much more so than we can form an idea of, from seeing 

 them when kept in clean cages, and fed sparingly, on 

 comparatively fresh and wholesome meat. In their 



The Griffon, or Fulvous Vulture. 



