TURKEY BUZZRfl). 



FEW species, if any, have a wider distribution in America 

 than the Turkey Buzzard. It is found more or less 

 abundantly to the Saskatchewan throughout North America, 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, and in all portions of 

 South America as far south as the Strait of Magellan. Indi- 

 viduals have been met with in Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 

 wick, though these birds are generally not common north of 

 Central New Jersey. From Eastern Maine, in the neighbor- 

 hood of Calais, to Connecticut, specimens have occasionally 

 been captured. In a single instance, Mr. Lawrence observed 

 a small company of nine at Rockaway, Long Island. West 

 of the Alleghenies, from Central America nearly to the 

 Arctic regions, it occurs more abundantly. Without ex- 

 ception, it is found in greater or less numbers in all the 

 Middle, Western, Southern and North-western States. From 

 Lower California to Washington, along the Pacific, numer- 

 ous parties attest to its common occurrence. The West 

 Indies, the islands of Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad, the last- 

 named in particular, include it within their faunae. Honduras 

 and Guatemala, as well as the Falkland Islands, off the east- 

 ern coast of Patagonia, are permanent residing-places. 



In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where the writer has 

 had abundant opportunities for studying the species, these 

 Vultures summer quite plentifully. From their first appear- 

 ance, in March, large numbers may be seen high up in the 

 air, moving in large circles, apparently exploring the ground 

 below for their favorite articles of food. In rural districts 

 they are, however, more frequently observed than in the 



