MONK VULTURE. 21 



monk's hood, hanging from the shoulders down 

 the middle of the back; while another similar 

 series of whitish feathers terminating in an acute 

 angle about the middle of the back covered all the 

 lower part of the back toward the complications of 

 the wings, forming a kind of cloak : the tail was 

 broad and of a middling size; the feet dusky, and 

 covered with scales: the beak and claws were of 

 a dusky horn-colour : the feathers on the thighs 

 reached no lower than the knees. This bird 3 ac- 

 cording to Aldrovandus, was taken on the Alpine 

 mountains of the town of Giulia. 



Monsieur Sonnini, in his elegant and useful 

 edition of the Natural History of the Count de 

 Buffon, imagines, and even roundly asserts, that 

 this bird is no other than the Vautour or Grand 

 Vautour of Buffon, figured at No. 425 of the Plan- 

 ches Enluminees ; and that the description, or 

 rather the figure given by Edwards has caused the 

 mistake of other writers, who have conceived the 

 head to be furnished with a tuber or cajlosity instead 

 of a downy tuft. 



The description of Edwards informs us that this 

 species " is a very large bird, exceeding the size Of a 

 common Eagle by a third part : the beak is longer 

 than in the Eagle, without angles on the edges 

 of the upper mandible, and of a black or dusky 

 colour towards its point : its basis is covered with 

 alight blueish skin, in which the nostrils are placed : 

 the head and part of the neck are covered with, 

 short downy feathers of an ash-colour, white round 



