foul odor of decayed animal matter, and 

 this odor will be retained by the feathers 

 for a long time, even after the bird is 

 dead and its skin removed from the body. 



When unmolested, both the Black Vul- 

 ture and the Turkey Buzzard become 

 very tame. In many of the cities and vil- 

 lages of the Southern States it is a com- 

 mon sight to see these birds walking 

 along the streets and forming "A self- 

 constituted street-cleaning department." 

 Their work is thorough, and not infre- 

 quently they are so intent in their search 

 for food that a pedestrian is in danger of 

 running against them. They roost on 

 the housetops and here, too, they will 

 often stand with partly spread wings 

 while they dry their water-soaked plum- 

 age in the hot rays of the sun. Not in- 

 frequently they add to the filth on their 

 bodies by standing on the top of a chim- 

 ney while their plumage is dried by the 

 heat that escapes with the sooty smoke. 

 Pennant suggested many years ago that 

 their habit of lazily basking in the sun, 

 with half-opened wings, was the result of 

 an effort "to purify their bodies, which 

 are most unpleasantly foetid." 



The Vultures of the Americas as well 

 as those of the Old World have been the 

 theme of many writings during the past 

 centuries. Pliny and contemporaneous 

 writers speak of their habits. About the 

 year 1780 Clavigero, an able writer of his 

 time, speaks of the Vultures in his histor- 

 ical account of Mexico. In his interest- 

 ing sketch of these birds there is no doubt 

 . that the name Zopilot refers to the Black 

 Vulture and that Cozcaquanhtli is the 

 Turkey Buzzard. The following is a 

 part of one of a number of translations 

 of his work which have appeared in 

 print : "The business of cleaning the 

 fields of Mexico is reserved principally 

 for the Zopilots, known in South Amer- 

 ica by the name Gallinazzi; in other 

 places by that of Aure ; and in some 

 places, though very improperly, by that 

 of Ravens. There are two different spe- 

 cies of these birds — the one, the Zopilot, 

 properly so called ; the other, called Coz- 

 caquanhtli ; they are both bigger than the 

 raven. These two species resemble each 

 other in their hooked bill and crooked 

 claws, and by having upon their heads, 

 instead of feathers, a wrinkled membrane 

 with sonic curly Jiairs. Tlic two species 



are distinguished, however, by their size, 

 their color, their numbers, and some other 

 peculiarities. The Zopilot, properly so 

 called, has black feathers, with brown 

 bill and feet ; they go often in flocks, and 

 roost together upon trees. This species 

 is very numerous, and is to be found in 

 all the different climates; while, on the 

 contrary, the Cozcaquanhtli is far from 

 numerous and is peculiar to the warmer 

 climates alone. The latter bird is larger 

 than the Zopilot, has a red head and feet, 

 with a beak of a deep red color, except 

 toward the extremity which is white. Its. 

 feathers are brown, except on the parts 

 about the breast, which are of a reddish 

 black. The wings are of an ash color 

 upon the inside and upon the outside are 

 variegated with black and tawny. The 

 Cozcaquanhtli is called by the Mexicans 

 King of the Zopilots." 



Of the eight species of American Vul- 

 tures, the Black Vulture and the Turkey 

 Buzzard are the best known. They fre- 

 quent both North and South America, 

 the black species ranging from North 

 Carolina and the lower Ohio Valley west- 

 ward to the Great Plains, and south- 

 ward through Mexico and Central Amer- 

 ica into South America where it is found 

 in nearly all parts. The range of the 

 Turkey Buzzard is more extensive, for it 

 extends from New Jersey, the Ohio Val- 

 ley, the Saskatchewan region and British 

 Columbia, southward to Patagonia. It is 

 only as scavengers that these birds find 

 their true place. "They have the beauty 

 of utility, if no other; and their useful- 

 ness is recognized in all warm countries, 

 where they are encouraged in their famil- 

 iarity with man and are rightly regarded 

 ?.s public benefactors." 



The Black Vulture, Catharista atrata, 

 which we illustrate, is not as graceful a 

 bird when flying as is the Turkey Buz- 

 zard. The flight of the latter birds is 

 "exceedingly easy and graceful ; while 

 the apparent absence of all effort, as they 

 sail in stately manner overhead, in ever 

 changing circles, and without any appar- 

 ent movement of their well-shaped wings, 

 makes them really attractive objects to 

 watch." The flight of the Black Vulture 

 is much more heavy and laborious and 

 is accomplished by frequent flapping of 

 the wings. It is a stronger and heavier 

 bird than the Buzzard, and when the two 



