THE TURKEY VULTURE. 263 



extremely small, scarcely touching the earth, and on this account the foot is less prehensile 

 than in any other Vulture. The home of this magnificent bird is the chain of the Andes in South 

 America, and the neighbouring countries to the west, and it is found inhabiting these mountains 

 from Ecuador and Colombia, down to the Strait of Magellan, and again extending on the east coast 

 as far as the mouth of the Rio Negro in Patagonia. It bears confinement well, examples being 

 generally to be seen living in the Zoological Gardens; and some idea of the extent of wing in the 

 Condor can occasionally be obtained when the birds are sunning themselves on their perch. The 

 expanse in large individuals is said to reach as much as eight or nine feet. All observers agree that 

 when seen in a wild state the flight of the Condor is truly majestic, and it is capable of ascending 

 to an immense height, at which a man could not breathe on account of the rarefaction of the air, a 

 state of things which does not seem to affect the Condor, who is often lost to sight amidst the 

 clouds. The most exaggerated stories of the strength and prowess of this Vulture were circulated 

 by the old authors, and it was even said to attack full-grown oxen. The careful observations, 

 however, of recent travellers, have dispelled many of the fabulous stories respecting it, and it is now a 

 well ascertained fact that the Condor does not attack full-grown, animals of any size, but will 

 devour newly-born and helpless offspring, and several of them will unite to kill the mother should she 

 appear in a weak and sickly condition. The supposed habit, attributed to these birds, of carrying off 

 prey in their feet, is disproved by the weakness of the last-named organs, and their utter incapacity 

 for grasping anything : in fact the feet play a very insignificant part in the bird's economy, the 

 powerful bill being the chief factor in tearing a carcase to pieces. The Condor measures about 

 three feet and a half in length, the closed wing being about twenty-nine inches. The general colour 

 of the bird is black, the secondary quills and most of the wing-coverts being externally grey. 

 Round the neck is a ruff of soft white down. The bare parts of the head and neck are not 

 remarkable for any bright colour, but are blackish with traces of livid flesh colour here and there. 

 That the Condor lays sometimes in confinement is shown by a specimen in the British Museum, which 

 was hatched by a common hen, who sat on the egg for six weeks and two days. The nestlings are 

 usually covered with white down. 



THE KING VULTUEE (Cat/iartea* papa\). 



This is by far the handsomest of the whole family, its head and neck being covered with caruncles, 

 which in life are orange, purple, and crimson in colour ; the general plumage of the bird, too, is a 

 delicate fawn or cream colour. It is an inhabitant of Central and Southern America, from 

 Mexico southwards to Brazil, where it is found a little below the twentieth degree of south latitude. 

 It appears to be rather a cleaner feeder than the Condor or other American Vultures, and fre- 

 quents wooded countries instead of those rocky places in which the Condor delights. It is rarer 

 than the last-named bird, and from its forest-loving habits is less easily observed, and it is alto- 

 gether a more active and lively species. It is shy and suspicious, and is most difficult to obtain, from 

 its habit of sitting on the tops of trees, whence it scans with ease the country around. On this 

 account it is seldom shot, and D'Orbigny, from whose works much of the above information is 

 derived, says that it is only captured by attracting it to a carcase, and then shooting it from an 

 ambush. Another mode of capture, which he says is followed by the natives of Santa Cruz de la 

 Sierra,| is by finding out the tree on which the King Vulture roosts, and to which it returns night 

 after night, and then to climb up and capture the bird with gloved hands. The same observer- 

 says that it is not from any innate respect, but from fear of its powerful bill, that the Turkey 

 Vultures pay such deference to this present bird, not venturing to commence their repast until he is 

 satisfied, whereby he is popularly known as the "King" of the Vultures. 



THE TURKEY VULTURE (Rhinogryphm aura). 



This is an inhabitant of North America, whence it ranges throughout Central America and the 

 West Indian Islands down the Andean chain to the Strait of Magellan. Their habits vary somewhat 



a scavenger. f Papa, a pope. J D'Orbigny, " Voyage dans 1'Amerique Meridionale," p. 30. 



piV (pi's), PIKJS, a nose ; gryphus, as before, a Griffon, or Vulture ; so called on account of its peculiar perforated nose. 



