47° BIRDS. RAPACIOUS. Vulture. 



it. in. Condam. it. 175. Buff. oif. i. 184. Molin. chil. 236. — Condur. Lath. fyn. i. 4. Id. flip. 1. 

 Hawkefw. voy. i. 15. 



Inhabits South America. — This bird is of enormous fize, the wings meafuring, when extended, 

 nine, twelve, or even fixteen feet, from tip to tip ; the largeft quill-feathers of the wings, fometimes 

 meafure two feet and a half long, and the quill part an inch and a half in circumference. The body 

 is of a black colour, with a white back ; the neck is furrounded with a collar of longifh white fea- 

 thers ; the chin is reddiih 5 the head is clothed with brown down or wool ; the eyes are black, with 

 chefnut, or light reddiih hides ; the bill is black, with a whitifh point ; the legs and feet are black, 

 and the claws are ftraightifh ; the tail is fmall. The female is confiderably larger than the male, 

 which it relembles, except in having a brown creft or tuft on the fcrag, or hinder part of the neck. 



The Condour builds its neft on the fteepeft mountains, under the fhelter of fome projecting fhelf 

 of a rock^ in which the female lays two white eggs. It preys on calves, fheep, goats, and fuch like 

 animals, and, when very much prefled by hunger, has been known to carry ofF children of ten years 

 of age ; nay two of them are laid to be able to deftroy and eat up the carcafs of a cow at one meal. 

 When alighting on, or riling from, the ground, it makes fuch a noife with the wings, as to terrify 

 and almoft deafen any one who happens to be near the place. 



2. White-headed Vulture. — 9. Vidtur- leucocephalus. 10. 



Of a white colour, with black wing and tail quills, and having a collar of white feathers 

 round the neck. 



V. leucocephalus. BrifT. av. i. 446. n. 9. — V. albus. Raj. fyn. 10. n. 6. Will. orn. 35. n. 6. Id. 

 angl. 67. — V. albicans. Klein, av. 44. n. 5. Id. ov. av. 18. t. 5. f. 3. — V. percnopterus. Haffelqu. 

 it. 209. It. pofegan. 27. Faun, aragon. 67. n. 1. — V. aquilinus cinereus. Gerin. orn. i. 47. t. 14. — 

 Petit Vautour. Buff. oif. i. 164. — Vautour de Norvege. PI. enl. 429. — Avoltoio bianco. Cett. uc, 

 fard. 12. — Vultur albicans, Vautour de Norvege, Alimoche. Bom. di<5t. hift. nat. in voc. 



Inhabits Sardinia, Aragon, and other parts of the fouth of Europe, likewife the northern parts of 

 Africa, and the Levant, and has alfo been found in Norway. — This fpecies is fome inches more than 

 three feet long; the tail and wings are of a moderate fize ; the head and upper parts of the neck are 

 clothed with white down ; the claws are black ; the middle toe is covered with eleven diftintt fcales. 



There is a confiderable difcrepancy between the defcriptions of this fpecies as given by Dr Gme- 

 lin, Mr Latham, and other naturalifts ; Mr Latham defcribes it as ' of a footy afh-colour with red- 

 « difh fpots, having the head, neck, and bafe of the tail white,' and fays, that it inhabits Afia, Afri- 

 ca, and the fouth of Europe ; for which reafon I have referred his defcription to a feparate variety. 

 According to Mr Bomare, the general colour is a dirty white, fomewhat mixed with brown, having 

 the primary wing quill-feathers black, and the reft of a brownifh black or foot colour, the head, neck, 

 and maw being faffron coloured ; he adds, that the legs are flender, and longer than thofe of mofl 

 Vultures, with naked afli-coloured feet, and fays that the animal is five feet in extent, and only two 

 feet three inches long. Dr Gmelin is uncertain whether the fpecies he defcribes may not be a variety 

 of the V. Percnopterus, or rather of the V. fulvus. Amid fuch uncertainty in the defcriptions of fo 

 many celebrated naturalifts, all that has been here attempted is to give a clear view of their feveral 

 opinions, without endeavouring to decide : The two following varieties are barely noticed by Dr Gme- 

 lin, while the next two are given on the authority of Mr Latham. — T. 



