208 THE TOWER MENAGERIE. 
from their bodies, .and their tails trailing upon the 
ground. 
The Griffon Vulture is equal in size to the larger 
species of Eagle; his head and neck are covered with 
short white down, and the latter is ornamented at its 
base with an extensive ruff of long feathers of a clear 
and brilliant white. The plumage of the body is reddish 
gray; the quill-feathers of the wings and tail are of a 
blackish brown; and the beak and claws are nearly 
black. He is a native of the greater part of Europe 
and of Asia, and inhabits during the summer the more 
elevated regions of the two continents, building his nest 
in the rocks and among inaccessible precipices. In the 
winter he is said to migrate to warmer and more tem- 
perate climes. His habits are precisely those of the rest 
of the group to which he belongs. 
