VULTURE. 



were in the body of the fame . colour with my defcription, but 

 had the tail-feathers black throughout, with pale whitilh tips. 



That figured in the Planches Enluminees is brown above, white 

 beneath : the breaft yellowifh : tail wholly black throughout. 

 The toes are faulty, being near three times the length of nature. 

 Mr. Sonnet at fays, that the bird is naked above the knCes ; and 

 that the two outer tail-feathers are the long ones, which, he fays, 

 are as long as the whole body. In this he is not far amifs ; but 

 in the two firft afTertions, I am clear, he has been misinformed. 



In Millet'?, plate of this bird, I obferve the tail to be croffed 

 with numerous alternate bars of black and white, and the creSt 

 tipped with white *. I think it neceifary to be thus prolix on 

 the colours, to fhew how much it varies, either by age, fex, or in 

 different fpecimens, naturally. 

 Manners; As to the manners of this bird, it is on all hands allowed, that 



it principally feeds on rats, lizards, fnakes, and the like; and that 

 it will become familiar : whence Smnetat is of opinion that it 

 might be made ufeful in fome of our colonies, if encouraged, to- 

 wards the destruction of thofe pelts. They call it at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, Slangeatet, i. e. Snake- eatet. A great peculiarity be- 

 longs to it, I believe obferved in no other ; which is, the faculty 

 of Striking forwards with it's legs, never backwards. This circum- 

 • Stance I have obferved myfelf. — Dr. Solandet informs me, that he 

 has feen one of thefe birds take up a fnake, fmall tortoife, or fuch 

 like, in it's claws ; when, dafhing it from thence againft the 

 ground with great violence, if the victim was not killed at firft, it 



* He has omitted the bare fpace round the eyes ; which gives it more the 

 appearance of a Falcon than a Vulture : which laft genus it certainly be- 

 longs to. 



repeated 



