BIRDS, 



BY J. CASSIN. 



Order I. RAPTORES. 



SAKCOEAMPHUS GRYPHUS, (Linn.) 



Vultur gryphus, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 121. 

 Vultur magellanicus, Shaw, Mus. Lev. 1792, 1. 

 Vultur condor, Shaw, Gen. Zool. VII, 1809, 2. 

 Sarcoramphus condor, Less. Gay, Fauna Chilena, Aves, 194. 

 VuLG. Condor, Condoro, and Buitre, of the Chileans. 

 Figures. — Bonap. Am. Orn. IV, PL xxii. 

 Temm. pi. col. 133, 408, 4C4. 

 " HuMB. Obs. Zool. PI. viii. 



" Voy. Bonite Zool. PI. ii. 



" Shaw, Mus. Lev. PL i. 



Of six specimens in the collection, all those labelled as females bear a close resemblance to 

 the males, but are invariably smaller. The colors are the same, though of somewhat duller 

 shades, but not brown, as stated by Molina, though the present specimens corroborate his state- 

 ment respecting the relative sizes of the sexes of this species. (" La femmina e inferiore in 

 tutte le sue parti al maschio, e di color bruno." — Saggio suUa Storia Naturale del Chili, p. 224, 

 second edition, quarto ; Bologna, 1810.) 



This bird, the largest of the family of Vultures, is abundant in nearly all parts of Chile, 

 and particularly in the valleys of the Andes. The brown plumage alluded to above is that of 

 the young bird. 



Eelating to this celebrated bird, we find the following in the notes which have been kindly 

 placed at our disposal by Lieutenant Gilliss : ' ' Males are distinguishable from females by a 

 prominent caruncle, almost as marked as in the domestic cock. When young, the plumage is 

 downy and bluish black, and the circlet around the neck at that time is very little different in 

 color from the adult. Between the age of one and two years, the down nearly all disappears, 

 but the bird remains near the nest, I was informed, until quite two years old. I saw two in San- 

 tiago that had been there more than a year, and were still imable to fly. As the birds grow 

 older the wing and back feathers gradually become of brown or ashy gray, and the age may be 

 known by the extent and brightness of the lighter colored plumage." 



CATHARTES JOTA, (Molina.) 



Vultur jota, Mol. Sagg. Stor. Nat. Chile, 1782. 

 Cathartes aura, Illig. Gay, Fauna Chilena, Aves, 202. 

 ViTLG. South American Turkey Vulture. Jote. 

 Figures. — Vieill, Gal. des Ois. I, PL iv? 



