CATHARTIDES : AMElilCAN VULTUliES. 557 



amounts of the dark and white colors ; ymiiig darker, the upper parts without the wliito 

 crescents. Bill hlackish, bluing at base and on cere; feet grayisli-blue ; claws black; iris 

 yellower red. Length 3 feet or rather less; extent ab(jut 4i tret; wing 17.50-21.50; tail 

 8.50-10.50; tarsus 2.25 ; middle toe without claw 1.75 ; chord of cuhnen without cere 1..30; 

 chord of claws nearly the same. Nearly cosmop(ditan ; entire temperate N. Am., over inland 

 waters and especially along the sea-coasts, migratory, abundant. Few birds are better known 

 than this indu.strious fisherman, so often the purveyor perforce of the bald eagle. Breeds 

 anywhere in its range; nest bulky, finally acquii-ing encjrmous dimensions by yearly I'cpairs and 

 additions, placed usually in a tree or stout bush, sometimes on rocks or the ground ; sonietimes 

 hundreds together. Eggs usually laid in May, 2 or 3 in number, very variable in size, say 

 2. 50X1.75, running through all the variations in color common to hawks' eggs, from a wliite to 

 creamy, tawny or reddish ground, from few brownish markings to heaviest bhrtching with 

 sienna, umber, bistre and sepia ; coloratiou usually richly reddish or mahogany. Smne n&sts 

 grow to be 6 or 8 feet in diameter, and as nmch in depth, and smaller birds, such as purple 

 grackles, frequently build theirs in the interstices of the mass. 



8. Suborder CATHARTIDES : American Vultures. 



As already stated (page 497), the characters of this group are of more than family value, 

 for which I lately propt)sed the above name (New England Bird Life, vol. ii, p. 135). In no 

 event have these birds anything to do with tire Old World vultures, which scarcely form a sub- 

 family apart from Falconida:. In a certain sense, they represent the gallinaceous type of 

 structure ; our species of Cathartes, for instance, bears a curious supei-ficial resemblance to a 

 turkey. They lack the strength and spirit of typical Baptores, and rarely attack animals 

 capable of offering resistance ; they are voracious and indiscriminate gormandizers of carrion 

 and animal refuse of all sorts — efficient and almost indispensable scavengers in the warm 

 countries where they abound. They are uncleanly in their mode of feeding ; the natuie of 

 their food renders them iU-scented, and when disturbed they eject the foetid contents of the crop. 

 Although not truly gregarious, they assemble in multitudes where food is plenty, and scjme 

 species breed in communities. When gorged, they appear heavy and indisposed to exertion, 

 usually passing the period of digestion motionless, in a listless attitude, with the wings half- 

 spread. But they spend much of the time on wing, circling high in the air ; their flight is easy 

 and graceful in the extreme, and capable of being indefinitely protracted. On the ground, 

 tliey habitually walk instead of progressing by leaps. Possessing no vocal apparatus, these 

 vultures are almost mute, emitting only a weak hissing sound. 



33. Family CATHARTID^ : American Vultures. 



See page 497. Head, and part of the neck, more or less completely bare of feathers, 

 sometimes caruncular ; eyes flush with the side of the head, not overshadowed by a super- 

 ciliary shield ; ears small and simple. Bill lengthened, contracted toward the base, moderately 

 hooked and comparatively weak. Nostrils very large, completely perforated, through lack of 

 a bony septum. Wings very long, ample, and strong; taU moderate. Anterior toes long for 

 this order, webbed at base; hind toe elevated, veiy .jhort; claws comparatively lengthened, 

 obtuse, little curved and weak. To these external characters, which distinguish our vultures, 

 I may add, that there are numerous osteological peculiarities. A lower larvnx is not de- 

 veloped. The capacious gullet dilates into an imn)ense crop. Cosca are wantino-. The caro- 

 tids are doulde. The feathers lack an aftershaft ; the plumage is sombre and unvaried • its 

 changes are slight; the sexes are alike, and the ? is not larger than the g. The famous 

 Condor of the Andes, Sarcorhamphus gryplms ; the King Vulture, Gypardim papa, whic]i 

 probably occurs in Arizona, and species of the three following genera, compose tlie family. 



