WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 223 



was, he turned about and ran off home, I after 

 him, and shouting to increase his fear. On scold- 

 ing him for his cowardice, the old rogue begged 

 that I would forgive him, for that the sight of the 

 snake had positively turned him sick at stomach. 



When I had done with the carcass of the large 

 snake, it was conveyed into the forest, as I ex- 

 pected that it would attract the king of the vul- 

 tures, as soon as time should have rendered it 

 sufficiently savoury. In a few days it sent forth 

 that odour which a carcass should send forth, 

 and about twenty of the common vultures came 

 and perched on the neighbouring trees; the king 

 of the vultures came too ; and I observed that none 

 of the common ones seemed inclined to begin 

 breakfast till his majesty had finished. "When he 

 had consumed as much snake as nature informed 

 him would do him good, he retired to the top of a 

 high mora-tree, and then all the common vultures 

 fell to, and made a hearty meal. 



The head and neck of the king of the vultures 

 are bare of feathers ; but the beautiful appearance 

 they exhibit fades in death. The throat and the 

 back of the neck are of a fine lemon colour; both 

 sides of the neck, from the ears downwards, of a 

 rich scarlet; behind the corrugated part there is 

 a white spot. The crown of the head is scarlet; 

 betwixt the lower mandible and the eye, and close 

 by the ear, there is a part which has a fine silvery 

 blue appearance; the corrugated part is of a 

 dirty light brown; behind it, and just above 

 the white spot, a portion of the skin is blue, and 

 the rest scarlet ; the skin which juts out behind the 



