Birds. 251 



throat, and middle of breast, covered with short, bristly, grey- 

 brown feathers ; rest of throat, sides of neck, and upper part 

 of cervix, with fine whitish down, and bristles resembling those 

 of the head. Skin, as seen through these coverings, between 

 livid blue and purple ; lower part of neck behind with a frizzy 

 ruff of short white feathers ; plumage of upper and under parts 

 white, or a pale blossom colour ; primary quill feathers black ; 

 secondaries greyish, shaded with black towards their shafts ; 

 tail rounded, and composed of fourteen black feathers, tinted 

 with grey. Bill, legs, and toes, livid blue, with shades of 

 dirty green ; claws black ; eyes light yellowish red. Length 

 from three feet to three feet six inches ; breadth from tip to tip 

 of wings, about eight feet. Young specimens are more or less 

 variegated with dull brown. 



Vultur Kolbii, Lath. Ind. Ornith, Supp. vol. i. pi. 10. Le 

 Chassefiente, Le Yaill. Ois. d'Afriq. pi. 10 (young.) White 

 Ass-vogel of the Cape Colonists. 



Vultur auricularis. Bill strong ; tip of upper mandible yel- 

 low ; rest of that, and the lower greenish yellow or horn- colour ; 

 cere bluish ; eyes dark brown ; skin of head, and unfeathered 

 portion of neck, vermilion or livid purple, with white variega- 

 tions ; the head thinly covered with a brownish white down and 

 some black hairs ; the neck bare, or with a still more scanty 

 covering of the like materials ; and on each side thereof a thin 

 fold of loose skin, extending downwards and forwards several 

 inches below the ears, usually about one inch in breadth, and 

 similar in colour to the head. Throat, and middle of breast, 

 covered with fine short black feathers ; back of neck with a 

 ruff of long narrow coarse brownish feathers, many of which 

 are turned forwards ; lower part of cervix, back, and shoulders, 

 dark brown, many of the feathers margined with a lighter tint ; 

 quills and tail black, the latter consisting of twelve feathers. 

 Under parts brownish black, the feathers long, narrow, some- 

 what curved, broadly edged with white towards their bases, 

 narrowly with dirty light brown elsewhere ; thighs with a 

 few brownish feathers on their outer sides, but their principal 

 covering is a fine reddish brown down; legs and toes pale 

 bluish, with a tinge of green ; claws dark horn-coloured, in- 

 clined to black. Length about three feet four or six inches ; 

 expanse of wings ten feet. 



Inhabits Africa. 



Vultur auricularis, Shaw, Zool. vol. i. p. 24. L' Oricou, 

 Le Vaill. Ois. d'Afriq. i. pi. 1. Black Ass-vogel of the Cape 

 Colonists. 



Vultur Galericulatus. Temm. Brow-black; wing coverts 

 varied according to the age with brown, yellow, and whitish ; 



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