422 



AVES— VULTURE. 



advances in age ; and the quill feathers of the wings and tail, together with 

 the larger coverts of the former, are glossy black. 



The young bird of the first year, according to M. D'Azara, is entirely of a 

 deep bluish^ tint, excepting the abdomen and lateral tail coverts, which are 

 white. In the second year it assumes a dusky hue, marked by long white 

 spots. Up to this period, the greater part of the head and neck is blackish 

 violet. In the third year it assumes its adult coloring, with the exception 

 of a few black feathers among the upper wing coverts. 



The range of this fine species of vulture is rather extensive. M. Bona- 

 parte enumerates it among the birds of the United States, and we believe it 

 is occasionally met with in Florida, which is probably its northern limit. 

 Towards the south, M. D'Azara describes it as common in Paraguay, but 

 says that it does not pass the thirty-second degree of latitude. In the inter- 

 mediate countries it would seem to be extremely abundant. Many travel- 

 lers mention it as congregating in large flocks in various parts of Mexico, 

 where it appears to have been first noticed by Navarrete, and was soon after 

 described by Hernandez under the native name of cozcaquauhtli. Its more 

 usual name, however, in that country, seems to be tzopilotl, literally king 

 of the vultures. In Guiana it bears, according to Sonnini, a title exactly 

 synonymous ; and in Paraguay, according to D'Azara, that of iriburubicha, 

 signifying the same thing. This uniformity of appellation is evidently 

 derived from the universality of the belief, that the other vultures pay a 

 particular respect to this species, abandoning their prey to it, whenever it 

 makes its appearance among them. But such a concession, as D'Azara 



