78 EiDGWAY on the American Vultures. 



phidoe (= Cathartidte of Huxley), and in the absence of any type 

 cannot be referred to any particular genus. In Humboldt's " Voy- 

 age," however, five years later, Dumeril designated the Condor 

 [S. gryphus) as Sarcoramphtis cuntur, which, in the absence of rea- 

 sons to the contrary, may be considered equivalent to the author's 

 limitation of his generic term to that species. 



The only method, however, by which the types of Sarcoramphus 

 and Cathartes can be settled upon, and the proper names for the 

 other Sarcorhamphine genera thereby determined, is the " process 

 of elimination.'' Applying this method, we find that, in 1816, 

 Vieillot established two genera of this family : Gypagiis, including 

 Vultur papa and V. g7-yphus ("Roi des vautours, Bufl'. — Vultur 

 gryff"us, Lath."), and Gatharista, with the V. urubu, Vieill. 

 (— " afrata, Bartr."), as type. Now, V. jxtpa and V. grypkus 

 having been already included in Dumeril's genus Sarcoramphnit, 

 Gypagus is obviously a jjure synonym of that name. In 1842, 

 however, Gloger established for V. papa the genus Gyparchus, so 

 that, excepting Gypagus, which can only be regarded as a pure 

 synonym of Sarcorhamphus, we are able to designate a type for 

 each of the species thus far mentioned : Sarcoraviphus, with gryphus 

 as type, by the elimination of aura (1811), papa (1842), and urubu 

 (1816). The only generic type remaining is the Vultur californi- 

 anus, Shaw, and for this no generic name appears to have been 

 proposed prior to 1874, when the writer instituted Pseudogryphns 

 for its special reception. 



In instituting (in 1874) the name Rhinogryphus for a genus, 

 including only Vultur aura and its congeners, I was misled by Mr. 

 G. R. Gray's assumption that the type of Cathartes, Illiger, was 

 V. papa (see " Hand-list," I, p. 3). Considering, as I then did, 

 Mr. Gray's views on such points incontrovertible, I unfortunately 

 deemed inquiry into the matter altogether unnecessary, and thus 

 unwittingly added a synonym to a genus already provided with a 

 name. Mr. Sharpe was evidently induced to propose, only a few 

 months later, his name (E^iops for the same group for exactly the 

 same reasons, since he makes V. pajxi the type of Cathartes, Illiger. 



Admitting then, that, by applying the " process of elimination " 

 for the determination of its type, the name Cathartes can be re- 

 tained for the genus under consideration, — notwithstanding the 

 fact that no type is indicated, and that the diagnosis applies to the 

 family in general, while V. papa heads the list of species enumer- 



