412 AVES—GRIFFON VULTURE. 
ORDEP. I.—RAPAUES. 
Birps of this order have the bill short and strong; upper mandible cover- 
ed at its base by a membrane or cere, compressed on the sides and io d.ed 
towards its extremity; nostrils open; legs strong, muscutar, short or 
medium length, feathered to the knee or toes; toes three before and one 
vehind divided, or united at the base by a membrane, rough below, armed 
with powerful claws, sharp, retractile, and hooked. Nearly all these birds 
live on animal food; the females are always larger than the males. The 
number of their eggs seldom exceeds four. 
PEE FUL VO Us (ORoGRVERON VULT ERE 
Tars noble species of vulture, which is one of the largest birds of prey 
of the Old Continent, measuring from three feet and a half to four feet in 
length, and more than twice as much in the expanse of its wings, is found 
on the lofty mountain chains of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is not uncom- 
mon during the summer, in the Alps and Pyrenees; but it is said to retreat 
in winter, to the north of Africa, extending itself, according to Le Vaillant, 
to the Cape of Good Hope. 
The nest of the griffon vulture, is formed in the clefts of rocks. It lays 
from two to four eggs, which are of a grayish white, with numerous spot 
1 Vultur fulvus, Lix. The genus Vultur has the bill thick and short, deeper than 
broad ; its base covered by a cere; upper mandible straight, bent towards the point ; un- 
der mandible straight, rounded, and inclined at the point; head naked, or covered witha 
short down; nostrils naked, lateral, opening diagonally towards the edge of the cere; 
legs strong, furnished with slightly bent claws ; the middle toe largest, aud united with 
the exterior one at the base. : 
Of the characters the most obvious, 1s the absence of feathers to a greater or less extent 
on the head and neck, a mark of distinction which, like all the rest, is closely. connected 
with the habits of the birds. Thus a falling off, or thinning of the feathers, is the frequent 
result of feeding upon flesh, especially when in a state of decay. The barrenness of these 
parts m tae vultures, enables them, moreover, to burrow in the putrid carcasses on which 
they prey, without risk of soiling their plumage. 
Their largely exiended nostrils, and the great internal developement of these organs, 
would seem to be of manifest use in guiding the vultures to their prey, which they are 
generally believed to scent from a great distance. It has, however, been lately main- 
tained by a most acute observer of the habits of birds, Mr Audubon, that this belief, 
which has been entertained from the earliest antiquity, is founded in error, and that the 
vultures are directed to their prey by sight alone; the lofty pitch at which they fly, ana 
the surpassing excellence of their vision, enabling them to detect it at an almost incon- 
ceivable distance. Several of the experiments brought forward by that gentleman, in 
support of his hypothesis, appear at first sight almost decisive of the question. But we 
cannot consent to abandon the received opinion, corroborated as it is to the fullest extent, 
by the anatomical structure of the organs of smell, until repeated experiments shall have 
placed the fact beyond the possibility of doubt. : 
It is almost unnecessary to point out the great utility of the strong, deep curved bill 
of most of the vultures in tearing to pieces the carcasses on which they feed and consi 
ing them in large masses to their maws. The nakedness of their legs may 2e regarded 
as dependent on the same causes, and serving the same purposes as that of their heads 
ang necks. 
