TURKEY VULTURE. 19 



back, shoulders, scapulars and secondaries, is glossed with green 

 and bronze, and has purple reflections; the thighs are feathered 

 to the knees ; feet considerably webbed ; middle toe three inches 

 and a half in length, and about an inch and a half longer than 

 the outer one, which is the next longest; the sole of the foot is 

 hard and rough; claws dark horn colour; the legs are of a pale 

 flesh colour, and three inches long. The claws are larger, but 

 the feet slenderer, than those of the Carrion-crow. The bill of 

 the male is pure white, in some specimens the upper mandible 

 is tipt with black. There is little or no other perceptible diffe- 

 rence between the sexes. 



The bird from which the foregoing description was taken, 

 was shot for this work, at Great Egg-harbour, the thirtieth of 

 January. It was a female, in perfect plumage, excessively fat, 

 and weighed five pounds one ounce, avoirdupois. On dissection, 

 it emitted a slight musky odour. 



The Vulture is included in the catalogue of those fowls declar- 

 ed unclean, and an abomination, by the Levitical constitution, 

 and which the Israelites were interdicted eating. * We presume 

 that this prohibition was religiously observed, so far at least as 

 it related to the whole family of the Vultures, from whose flesh 

 there arises such an unsavoury odour, that we question if all the 

 sweetening processes ever invented, could render it palatable 

 to a Jew, Pagan, or Christain. 



Temmmck, and some recent ornithologists, have separated 

 our Vultures from the genus Vultur, and have classed them 

 under the genus Cathartes of Illiger. It should seem that there 

 is a propriety in this arrangement; but as Wilson published, in 

 his sixth volume, the catalogue of his land birds, adopting the 

 genus Vultur, as sanctioned by Latham, we have not thought 

 proper, in this instance, to deviate from his plan.t 



* Leviticus, xi, 14. Deuteronomy, xiv, 13. 

 f From Mr. Ord's supplementary volume. 



