CATHAUTID.E-T11E AMKUICAN VULTLUKS. Jj^l 



Catharista atrata (Hautham). 



CABBION CBOW; BLACK VTJLTITBE. 



rultur utratns, Hautham, Tmv. I'urol. ^sn, 17'J2. -Mkykk, Znol. Ann. I, 290. — Oiiii 

 (Wii.s.) Ami. Orn. jil. Ixxv, 1'. •!. — Aiu. liiiils Am. pi. uvi. — liuLWsT. Kd. Joiiiii. rtc. 

 Scr. 1, VI, 15(5. Cdlhiiiiis oIivIhs, I,i;ss. Man. Oni. 1, 73, lb2f<. — Knil. it ."^wains. 

 F. li. A. II, «, ls:il. -l)Ai:w. ,Iourn. \Ws. p. (iS ; Zool. liwij;. jit. iii, p. 7. ~ .SwAis.s. 

 C'liissif. 15. II, 20li. — .Iamks. (\Vii..s.) Am. Oni. I, 10.— Hukwku ^^VlI.s.) Am. Orn. 

 Synop. Uinls Am. p. i)S2. — In. N. A. Oolofjy. — All). iSynup. Uirils Am. p. 3. 

 — IJkmxi. ^l•LH^ Z(Hil. .Shi-, pt. xi, i>. lOS ; Am. Nat. Hist. XIII, 4U8. — linsAi'. 

 t'onsp. p. y. — I)K Kav, Zoiil. X. Y. II, a. — liKlLli. I'rakt. Nat. Vii},'. p. 27. — Cas.s. 

 liiiil N.Am. 1S.".8, ;'.. — ColKs, Kry, 1872, 222. Vatlmrista iilnUus, llKAV, llaml 

 List, I, IStii), 3, No. 10. i'lilliiv imra tiiijii- ji, ICi;ui;, Tiaii.sl. tlnu'l. 473, 1792 

 Fiifhir aura (not of Linn 1), 1)ai-i>. Tr. Oiu. II, 10 ((luotcs I'l. Enl. 187, 1800). 

 Vatlui- Hi-ubu, Vll-.ILI,. Ois. Am. Sept. pi. ii, 1807. — Lath. (ten. Hist. I, 14. 

 CallMiiiH iiriihii, Lkss. Tr. Dm. p. 27, 1831. — U'Oim. Voy. Am. Muriil. Ois. p. 31, 

 pi. i. I'erainptcriis urtibit, Srv.vn. Zoiil. XIII, 7, pi. x.xxi, 1820. Fitltur iota, 

 .TaiU). (Wii.s.) Am. Orn. Ill, 22(i, 18.!2. — Oiii. (Wil,s.) Am. Orn. (wl. 2). iVai. 

 jilii-oii Ma, Vvv. l!;>j,'. An. (cil. 2), .1, 317, 1820. (.'atliarh.f iota, lioXAi-. Ann. Ly<'. 

 N. li. p. 23 ; Lsis, 1832, p. 1135 ; List, p. 1. — Kixci, Voy. I5uag. I, 532. — Nirrr. 

 Man. I, 40. — I'kam;, L'. S. E.xpl. Kxp. VIII, 59. Catharlcs fivtcns, Ii.l.io. JIns. 

 Ik'rol. — Licirr. Verz. Doubl. p. 03, 1823. — Guay, Gen. B. sp. 1, pi. i, f. 3. — iLvx. 

 Hcitr. Ill, 58. — Hirii. .Sciio.Mn. Faun. lirit. Giiian. )>. 742. — Cah. Av. C'onsp. Wii'};. 

 Archiv, 1844, 202 ; Faun. IVr. Orn. p. 71. — IIautl. Syst. Ind. Aziir. p. 1. 



8i". Char. Form heavy ; the wiiijrs ami tail short, the latter .square ; the remipe.s and 

 rectrice.s very hard anil still', liill .stronfr, the inantlibles broader than deep, and of aliout 

 equal depth, the terminal hook well developed ; upper and lower outline.s of the cere paral- 

 lel, and ne.irly strai^dit. No.stril narrow, its anterior end eontractod and point(!d. AVinar, 

 17.00-17.00; tail, 7.')0 - 8.00 ; enlmen, .90 - .!).j ; tarsus, 3.00; middle toe, 2.00; outer, 

 1.90; inner, l.oO; posterior. .7."). 



Adult. Bill blaekish, the ponit horny wliitc; naked skin of the head and ujiper part of 

 the neek blaeki.sli. Entire plinnajre eontinuous, perfectly uniform dull black; piimaries 

 beuoniing grayi.sh basally (more hoary whitisli on their under surfaee), their shafts pure 

 white for their whole lenirth. 



$ (119;!;3, St. Simon's Island, Tleorfria ; Dr. Wilson). Winjr, 17.50; tail, 8.2"). 



Hah. Trojiiial and warmer portions of America, especially near the sea-coast. 



HAiiiTS. The Black Vulture or Carrion Crow of the Southern States, 

 thouoli ibuiid in a much less extended area than the Turkey Vulture, ha.s yet 

 a very wide distribution. It is ([uite conunon along our Atlantic and Cmlf 

 coasts from North (,'arolina to Ale.xico. It does not occur on the Pacific 

 coast of the United States, though given by Douglas as being abundant on 

 the Columbia Iiiver ; indeed, it has not, that I am aware of, been detected 

 west of the Kocky Mountains. It is, however, as Dr. (jrambel states, very 

 common about the Gulf of ("alifornia, iind at Mazatlan, i)articularly, he saw it 

 around the town in large com])anies. On the Atlantic coast it is not often 

 met with farther north than Wilmington, N. V.. I could not detect it near 

 Norfolk, Va., nor could I ascertain that it was known ever to occur 

 there. Accidental specimens have been taken, two oa the coast of Massa- 



