m 



GESNERIAN VULTURE. 



Vultur Percnopterus. V. albus (femind subfuscd) rostro elongate 



angusto, facie nuda, remigibus nigris margine canis. 

 White Vulture (the female brownish,) with lengthened narrow 



beak, naked face, and black wing-feathers with grey edges. 

 Vultur Percnopterus. V. remigibus nigris, margine exteriore, 



prater extimas, canis* Lin. Syst. Nat. 

 Aquila quam Percnopterum, et Oripelargum, et Gi/pacetum vo* 



cant. Gesn.av.p. iy3. 

 Kachamah. Bruce trdv. append, p. 163; 



It is to be lamented that the specific characters 

 given by Linnaeus in the Systema Naturae are too 

 often of very little use from their excessive brevity. 

 Who can be supposed to be much instructed by 

 such a descriptive character as Vultur remigibus 

 nigris) margine exteriore, propter extimas, canis. f 

 Linnaeus however adds in a note, that the male 

 bird is entirely white, and the female brown. The 

 bird intended by Linnaeus is the Percnopterus of 

 Gesner, not very ill figured at page 193 of that 

 author's ornithology*, though represented with the 

 head very much retracted, or immersed in the 

 neck-feathers. From the figure it appears to have 

 been a male bird, being white, with the quill- 

 feathers blackish or deep brown : its size, according 

 to the description sent to Gesner, that of a Stork. 



It appears therefore probable that the Rachamah 

 of Mr. Bruce, the Angola Vulture of Mr. Pennant, 



* Gesneri Opera, Tiguri. 1551. &c. 

 V. VII. 3 



