CORAGYPS. 209 



Ccifhan'sta atrata Lloyd, Timehri (2) xi. p. 10, 1897 (habits). 

 CatJiarisfa iiruhii Beebe, Our Search for a Wilderness, pp. 112, 121, 

 1910 (Georgetown). 



"Black-headed Turkey-Buzzard" (Browii). 



Adult. General colour of the plumage both above and below dull 

 black ; shafts of primary-quills white, both above and below : 

 quill-lining pale grey near the shafts, blackish on edge of inner 

 webs and at the tips ; under surface of tail black as above ; shafts 

 of tail-feathers black, both above and below, but inclining to white 

 towards the base on the under surface. " Naked part of head 

 blackish " {SchomburgJc) . 



Total length 500 mm., culmen 59, wing 380, tail 170, tarsus 75, 

 middle toe and claw So. 



The description is taken from an example obtained on the Abary 

 River in September 1907. 



The young, according to Mr. Lloyd Price, " are of a light bluish, 

 or bro\\ nish gi'ey colour." 



BreecUng-seasoR. Unknown in British Guiana. 



J^est. " Often found on the trash banks, and near the roots of 

 old stumps " {Lloyd Price). 



Eggs. " Dirty white profusely spotted with dark brown and 

 two in number " {Lloyd Price) . 



Range in British Guiana. Abary River (McConnell collection) ; 

 Rupununi River (Brown) ; Georgetown (Beebe, QuelcJi). 



Ediyalimital Range. The remaining portion of South America 

 to the Rio Negro, Patagonia. Central and North America, Cuba 

 and Jamaica. 



Habits. The following notes have been translated from Schom- 

 burgk (Reis. Guian. i. p. 461), who remarks that cattle caught 

 by the lasso are immediately killed when brought to the forts, and, 

 scarcely before they are dead. Vultures {Cathartes fatens and 

 C. atira) — called "Carrion Crows" by the settlers — come rushing 

 hither from all quarters of the air : in fact, in less than one 

 hour he counted 300-400 birds. To rid themselves of these 

 unwelcomed guests, the officers of the fort loaded a cannon witii 

 rifle-balls, and one shot, when firod into a dense flock, killed from 

 forty to fifty birds. 



Owing to the contradictory statements, in ditTercnt hooks, 

 relating to the halnts of these Vultures (C.fcetens and C. aura), 

 Schomburgk studied them rather careful!}^ in regard to their 



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