134 NATURAL HISTORY. 
is found in the wooded countries of Europe, and the bor- 
dering countries of Asia, and also in the fur countries 
of North America. There are several other species of 
Buzzards in this country. 
226. We now come to the second great family of the 
Raptores—the Vultures. You have seen that the birds 
of the Falcon family have for their office, in the general — 
economy of nature, to keep within bounds the number 
of small birds and quadrupeds, and that their head-quar- 
ters are chiefly in the cold and temperate regions. The 
Vulture tribe, on the other hand, have for their office to 
cleanse the earth from the dead bodies of animals that 
have died from various causes, and their head-quarters 
are chiefly between the tropics. Still, they are, for the 
most part, inhabitants of mountainous regions, some of 
them dwelling on the confines of perpetual snow. They 
descend, however, to the warm regions below in search 
of their food. Vultures devour bodies that Hyenas and 
Jackals could not reach; for none but birds can reach 
carcasses that are in the midst of the dense and tangled 
forests of the tropics, or on the steep sides of their Al- 
pine ranges. 
227. The distinguishing characteristic in the appear- 
ance of the Vultures is the absence of feathers on the 
head and neck, while round the bottom of the latter there 
is a ruff of soft feathers in a loose fold of skin, within 
which the bird withdraws its neck, and even the greater 
part of its head, when, in a semi-torpid state, as motionless 
as a statue, it digests the food with which it has gorged 
itself. This absence of feathers on the head and neck is 
an example of adaptation, for if they were upon this part 
of the body they would become exceedingly foul by con- 
tact with the carrion on which the Vulture feeds. The 
whole plumage of this bird is deficient in the neat and 
regular appearance of that of the Falcon family, and yet 
it can not be called a filthy animal, for it washes itself 
often, and spreads out its wings to the sun to be dried. 
