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THE FULVOUS, OR GRIFFIN VULTURE. 



THE FULVOUS, or GRIFFIN VULTUKE, is one of the most familiar of these useful birds, 

 being spread widely over nearly the whole of the Old World, and found in very many portions 

 of Europe, Asia, and Africa. 



It is one of the large Vultures, measuring four feet in length, and its expanse of wing 

 being exceedingly wide. Like many of its relations, it is a high-roving bird, loving to rise 

 out of the ken of ordinary eyes, and from that vast elevation to view the panorama which lies 

 beneath its gaze ; not, however, for the purpose of admiring the beauty of the prospect, but 

 for the more sensual object of seeking for food. Whenever it has discovered a dead or dying 

 animal, the Vulture takes its stand on some adjoining tree or rock, and there patiently awaits 



FULVOUS, OR GRIFFIN VULTURE.- Gyps fulmis. 



the time when decomposition shall render the skin sufficiently soft to permit the entrance of 

 the eager beak. As soon as its olfactory organs tell of that desired change, the Vulture 

 descends upon its prey, and will not retire until it is so gorged with food that it can hardly 

 stir. If it be suddenly attacked while in this condition, it can easily be overtaken and killed ; 

 but if a pause of a few minutes only be allowed, the bird ejects by a spasmodic effort the load 

 of food which it has taken into its interior, and is then ready for flight. 



A controversy has long raged concerning the manner in which the Vulture obtains knowl- 

 edge of the presence of food. Some naturalists assert that the wonderful powers of food- 

 finding which are possessed by the Vulture are owing wholly to the eyes, while others as 

 warmly attribute to the nose this curious capability. Others again, desirous of steering a 

 middle course, believe that the eyes and the nostrils give equal aid in this never-ending duty 

 of finding food, and many experiments have been made with a view to extracting the real 



