BIRDS — ^VUtTtJllll&AE — CATBtARtfiiS ATPftAfUS. 5 



CATHAETES CALIFOENIANXJS, Shaw. 



The California l^'nltnre. 



VuUur ccdifornianvs, Shaw, Nat. Misc. IX, 1, pi. 301 (1779). 

 . Vultur columbianua, Oed, Guthrie's Geog. II, 315 (1815). 

 Cathartes vuUurwm, Temm. Pla. col. I, pi. 31 (1820). 

 FiGrBBS. — Aud. B. of Am. pi. 411, Oct. ed. I, pi. 1 ; Gbat, Gen. of JBirds, 1, pi. 2. 



The largest rapacious bird of North America. Head and neck bare, -with ft stemicirculat Spot cff short black feathets at 

 the base of the upper mandible, and a few straggling, short, or hair-like feathers on other parts of the head. Plumage 

 commencing on the neck, near the body, with a ruff of long lanceolate feathers continued on the breast. 



Entire plumage black, lustrous on the upper parts, duller below ; 'secolidary tiuills with a grayish tinge ; ^greater wing 

 coverts tipped With white, forming a, transverse band on the 'wing. Bill yellowish white ; Iris canmine ; ihead and neckin 

 living bird orange yellow atid red. 



Total length 45 to 50 inches, wing 30 to 35, tail 15 to 18 inches. 



Hab. Western North America. Spec, in Nat. Mus. Washington, and Mus. Acad. Philadelphia. 



This latge vulture is i'nfierior in size only to the gigantic condor of the mountains of South 

 America. It appears to he restricted to the countries west of the Rocky Mountains, where it is 

 bccasionally ohserved in ahundance, especially in the vicinity of the rivers. It is represented, 

 however, as more cautious in its disposition than the smaller vultures of North America, though 

 much resembling them in its habits. 



A single specimen in the National Museum was collected lat the mouth of the Columbia river 

 by J. K. Townsend. 



CATHAETES ATEATUS, B a r t r a m . 



The BlnclE VultnTe—The Carrion CrOTr. 



Futtur ttB-VifMJ, Bartram, Travels, p. 289. (1791.) 

 Vullvir urvihu,, Vieillot, Ois. d'Ani. Septent. I, 63. (1807.) 

 FiGtjBEs.— Vieill. Ois. d'Am. Se^jt. I, pi. 2 ; Wilson Am. Orn. IX, pi. 75, fig. 2 ; Aud..B. of Am. pi. 106 : Oct. ed. I, pi.. 3. 



Entire plumage deep uniform black, frequently with a bluish "gloss on the back and wings. Shafts of quills ■whiteabove and 

 below, quills on their under surface pale, in some specimens nearly white. Head and neck brOwni^h or bluish black ; bill dark, 

 yellowish at tho end. 



Plumage commencing higher on the back of the neck than on its sidesor in front 'Head and naked ptirtion of the neck warted 

 or corrugated, and wiih a few hair-like feathers ; bill rather long ; nostrils large atid ctjmmunicating withisa^h other ; tail rather 

 short, truncate or even at the end, legs rather long. 



Total length, about 23 inches ; wing, 16i inches ; tail, 8| inchSs. 



Hab. Southern North America, Central America, Noi thern South America, Chile. Spec, in Nat. Mus. Washington, and 

 Mus. Acad. Philadelphia. 



Abundant in the Southern States and gregarious at all seasons, congregating in large 

 numbers in the cities, where they are of great service in the destruction of all descriptions of 

 waste or dead animal substances. Found also in Central and Northern South America. On 

 the western coast of North America the occurrence of this vulture is doubtful, and no specimens 

 are in the collections of the surveying and exploring expeditions. The specimens in the 

 National Museum are from the Southern Atlantic States. 



