CATHAETES BUREOYIANUS — CATHARTES ATRATU8. 383 



folding the wings, give a vigorous spring into the air; with a few pow- 

 erful, hurried flaps, they are fairly off. They soon begin their gyrations 

 with set wings, only beating at intervals, when they are forced to rise 

 rapidly away from some obstacle; and, circling thus, they are shortly 

 in the upper air. 



The Turkey Buzzard breeds sometimes in communities and some- 

 times by single pairs, depositing its eggs on the ground, on rooks, or in 

 hollow logs and stumps. The situation is generally in thick woods; 

 and when numbers breed together, the foulness of the resort is beyond 

 description — vegetation may be entirely destroyed over large areas. 

 Even single nests are offensive from their noisome deposits, not only of 

 excrementitious matters, but of others, disgorged by the parents to feed 

 the young. The eggs are generally two in number, often only onej 

 they measure about 2^ in length by 2, or rather less, in breadth, being 

 thus notably shorter and of less capacity than those of the Black Vul- 

 ture. They are creamy or yellowish- white, variously blotched and 

 splashed with several different shades of brown, and usually showing 

 other smaller spots of lavender and purplish-drab. The young are said 

 to be covered at first with a whitish down, and to be fed for some time 

 with half digested carrion disgorged by the parents. 

 , When wounded and captured, the Turkey Buzzard warns off its ag- 

 gressor very effectually by casting up the fcetid contents of the crop, 

 but offers no resistance. Several winged birds I have handled remained 

 perfectly passive after this, and even seemed apathetic as they were 

 being put to death. I learned, on one occasion, that they will simulate 

 death. A bird that I had shot — through the lungs, as I judged from the 

 crimson froth and blood that flowed from the beak — appeared dead soon 

 after I picked it up, and I carried it home, some distance, holding it by 

 the legs dangltug, perfectly limp. I threw it carelessly down on the 

 ground by my tent and turned to something else ; but, in a few mo- 

 ments, on looking at it again, I was surprised to find the bird I had 

 thought dead had changed its position, and I caught its bright brown 

 eye glancing furtively around. On going up to it its eyes closed, the 

 body relaxed, and it lay as if dead again. I compressed the chest for 

 several minutes, till I was satisfied life was extinct, and then went to 

 supper. But the cunning bird was still "playing possum," and, I. sup- 

 pose, scrambled into the bushes as soon as my back was turned ; at any 

 rate it was gone when I returned. 



The remaining species of this genus are as follows : 

 Cathartes BUBROviANns, Cassin. 



Cathartes imrovianus, Cass., Pr. PhUa. Acad, ii, 1845, 212 ; 111. 1854, 59 (? Mexico) : B N. 

 A. 1858, 1.— Gray, Hand-list, i, 1869, 3, No. 19.— Codes, Key, 1872, 222. 



SUnognjphus hurromanwa, Kidgw.— B. B. & E., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 344. 



Cathartes uruUtinga, Natt.— Pelz., Sitzb. Ak. Wien. 1861, 7 ; Orn. Bras, i, 1868 1 — 

 Gdrn., Cat. Rapt. B. 1864, 46.— Scl. & Saiv., P. Z. S. 1867, 589 (Amazon).— 

 Elliot, B. N. A. ii, pi. 26.— Gray, Hand-list, i, 1869, 3, No. 20. 



Hob. — Eastern Tropical America. . 



Cathartes atratds, Bartram. 



VuUur Irasilimsis, Ray., Syn. Meth. Av. 1713, 10. 



CatMrtes hramliensis, Bp., Consp. i, 1850, 9. 



Vultur atratus, Bartr., Trav. 1792, 289.— Meyer, Zool. Am. i, 1794, 290— Bkewst 

 Edinb. Journ. vi, 156. ' 



Cathartes atratus, Less., Man. i, 1828, 73.— Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831 6 — TE-\ni 

 Tab. Meth. 1836, 1.— Sw., Classif. B. ii, 1837, 206.— Darw., Journ. Res. 1330, 

 68; Voy. Beagle, iii, 7.— James., ed. Wils. i, 10.— Brew., ed. Wils. 1H40, 682; 

 N. Am. 061. 1857, 5, pi. 1, f. 3, 4.— AuD., Syn. 1839, 3 ; B. Am. i, 17, pi. 3.— 

 Bridges, P. Z. S. ix, 108 ; Ann. N. H. xiii, 498.— DbKay, N. Y. Zool. ii, 1844, 

 3.— Bp., Consp. i, 1850, 9.— Cass,, HI. 1854, 58; U. S. Astron. Exp. ii, 1855, 173; 



