CATHARTES. BIRDS. 183 



C. gryphus, Tern. The Condor or Great Vulture of the Andes. Co- 

 lour blackish ; a spot on the wings, and ruff white; upper caruncle 

 large, and without dentations ; another under the bill like the 

 cock; female destitute of caruncles" Inhabits South America. 

 Shaw, vii. pi. 2, 3, 4. 



This animal is the largest of the tribe. According to Humboldt it is about three 

 feet three inches in length, and eight feet nine inches in spread of wings ; though 

 Marco Polo asserts that it can raise an elephant from the ground. The usual 

 residence of these birds is in lofty rocks in the regions of the Andes, near the boun- 

 dary of perpetual snow ; but they are capable of soaring beyond the reach of human 

 vision. In Peru and Quito they are not unfrequently taken alive in the following 

 manner : A cow or horse, which is of little value in those countries, is killed, and 

 exposed ; and in a short time the Condors are seen suddenly to emerge from quarters 

 where their existence was not even suspected. They always begin with the eyes and 

 tongue, and then proceed to devour the entrails, &c. When gorged they are too 

 heavy and indolent to fly, and the Indians easily capture them in nooses. They 

 make their nests in the most inaccessible rocks, and the female lays two white eggs, 

 which are larger than those of the turkey-hen. 



C. Papa, Lin. King of the Vultures. Of a whitish rufescent hue ; 

 head and neck naked ; nostrils furnished with a loose orange- 

 coloured caruncle, and the neck with a gray ruff. Shaw, vii. pi. 13. 

 This bird inhabits the plains in the warmer regions of South America, and it is 



also said of the West Indies. It lives on rats, lizards, snakes, carrion, and all sorts 



of excrementitious matters, exhaling a most offensive odour, which the stuffed skin 



has been known to retain for upwards of twenty years. 



C. aura, Lin. American or Carrion Vulture. General colour 

 blackish, with purple and green reflections ; head and neck red, 

 naked, papillous, and wrinkled. About two feet and a-half long. 

 Inhabits America Shaw, vii. 36, 



C. vulturinus, Tern. (V. Californianus, Shaw.) Plumage black, 

 with a whitish bill ; head and neck naked and of a pale colour ; 

 feathers of the collar and breast lanceolate ; legs and toes black. 

 Shaw, vii. 10. 



Gen. 3. GYPAETUS, Storr. Phene, Vieill. 



Bill long ; upper mandible arched towards the point, and bent 

 like a hook ; nostrils oval, covered with stiff hairs directed 

 forwards ; feet short ; four toes, the three anterior united by 

 a short membrane, the middle one very long ; nails slightly 

 crooked ; wings long. 



The Gypaeti have more grace and activity in their motions than the vultures. 

 Formidable by their strength and the impetuosity with which they dart on their prey, 

 they seize the moment when a wild goat or its young separates from the flock on 

 the borders of precipices, and kill it on the spot. Young and diseased animals are 

 their common prey. 



G. barbatus, Cuv. (Vultur barbatus, Lath. Falco barbatus, Gm.) 

 The Bearded Vulture. Head and neck of a dirty white ; a black 

 line extends from the base of the bill to above the eyes ; another 

 rising behind the eyes passes over the ears ; lower part of the 

 neck, breast, and belly of an orange-red ; back and wing-coverts 

 of a deep grayish brown, but on the centre of each feather is a 

 white longitudinal line ; wings and feathers of the tail of a gray 



