VULTURES. 4-9 



on the breast being naked. Now, this naked skin usually 

 loses colour and becomes of a dirty brown or yellow. It is 

 evident, therefore, that if we wish to give these parts in our 

 stuffed specimen the appearance they exhibited while alive, 

 artificial means must be employed ; and this can only be 

 done by the application of paints or coloured varnishes. It is 

 well known, that during life these naked skins on the head 

 and neck, were liable to change of colour from the influence 

 of the passions of the bird, as either excited by love, fear, or 

 rage ; all of which must be considered in preserving. For 

 example, the skin of the ash-coloured Vulture ( Vultur cine- 

 reus}, is of a livid blue colour when the bird is in a 

 quiescent state, but under the influence of love or rage, 

 becomes of a bright reddish hue ; so that either of these must 

 be adopted in our preserving, according to the character we 

 intend giving. 



The King of the Vultures ( Cathartes Papa), has a fleshy 

 cere of a bright orange colour, or rather inclining to vermilion, 

 which is prolonged above and between the nostrils to an ele- 

 vated comb, a scarlet circle surrounds the eye, the remainder 

 of the head is purplish black. The back of the head is cover- 

 ed by a patch of short blackish down, and behind the eye 

 on either side are several broad and deep wrinkles of skin, 

 giving origin to a thick and prominent fold, which extends ob- 

 liquely downwards along the whole of the neck. This fold, 

 when the bird is in an unexcited state, is of a reddish-brown, 

 mingled with blue, and is traversed by numerous lines of mi- 

 nute black hairs. From the upper part of the neck, which is 

 of a bright red, the colour gradually becomes less intense, and 

 fades into orange and yellow as it descends towards the lower 

 part. The legs and claws are of a dusky black, but sometimes 

 the former are reddish, and at other times of a dirty white. 

 This depends on the age of the bird. 



Now, as all these colours, which we have described, are lia 

 ble to change, immediately after death, it is evident that con- 

 siderable nicety will be required to give the preserved speci- 

 men the appearance of nature. These must, therefore, be 

 supplied artificially with the varnish colours, which we have 

 particularly described in their proper place ; as also the com- 

 binations for the formation of compound colours, The reddish- 



