330. Zoological N. Y. Zoological Society. [I; 18 



proached and examination showed the carcass undisturbed. The 

 next day, three days after the death of the calf, four Kings, 

 two adult males, one immature male and a female were feeding. 

 These birds stayed about all day and were not at all shy, permit- 

 ting persons to approach within one hundred feet. They de- 

 voured a great part of the carcass, and finally took themselves 

 off, leaving the remainder to the greedy Blacks, which had been 

 standing about at a respectful distance. 



Catharista uruhu brasiliensis (Bonap.) South American 

 Black Vulture. 



This is the common vulture of Costa Rica. It is abundant 

 everywhere, perching on the houses, selecting the tid-bits from 

 the wagons of city refuse collectors, quarreling with dogs and 

 poultry over morsels in the streets and industriously following 

 its mission as general scavenger. 



It is customary to stretch the hides of freshly killed cattle 

 in accessible places and on several occasions vultures were noted 

 in the act of stripping them of bits of fat and flesh, apparently 

 doing so without injury to the hide. 



It is of interest to note that the calf referred to under 

 Sarcoramphus papa was dead three days before a really serious 

 attack was made upon it. When it was first discovered, although 

 not quite dead, the birds had removed its tail and made small 

 incisions at various parts of its body. As soon as it was dead 

 the eyes were extracted, but after that it remained untouched 

 until the third day, when it was quickly devoured. This would 

 seem to indicate that the birds were unable to penetrate the 

 animal's hide until decomposition had softened it considerably. 

 They hold the King Vultures in great awe, the coming of one 

 of these great birds being the signal for the withdrawal of its 

 meaner relatives. 



On another occasion a King and a great number of 

 Blacks were noticed perched on and about an isolated shed 

 in a back potrero.... Investigation showed the shed to contain 

 a quantity of fat, cut in strips and hung up to dry. The walls 

 of the shed were formed by slats, the apertures being so narrow 

 as to make the inside too dark to permit the contents to be seen 



