3 



Order I. ACCIPITRES. 



Family I. Vulturidje. 



The second Subfamily, 



SARCORAMPHINiE, or Condors, 



have the Bill lengthened, and rather slender, with the basal portion more or less covered with a soft 

 Cere, the apical part strong, much curved, and acutely hooked at the tip ; the Nostrils placed in the cere, 

 with the opening large, exposed, oblong, and longitudinal ; the Wings lengthened and pointed ; the 

 Tarsi long, and covered with small reticulated scales ; the middle Toe lengthened ; the lateral ones 

 short, equal, and united with the middle by a membrane ; and the hind Toe generally short and weak. 



Neophron Sav.* 



Bill very long and slender, with the cere covering two thirds of its length, the apical portion rather 

 arched, and acutely hooked at the tip, and the sides compressed ; the nostrils placed near the middle of 

 the bill, longitudinal and exposed. Wings lengthened and acute, with the third quill the longest. Tail 

 moderate and wedge-shaped. Tarsi the length of the middle toe, plumed below the knee, and covered 

 with moderate-sized reticulated scales. Toes lengthened and slender, with the lateral ones nearly equal, 

 the inner one the strongest, and all strongly scutellated above ; the hind toe as long as the inner, and 

 strong ; the claws moderate, strong, and curved, especially that of the inner toe. The front of the head, 

 cheeks, and fore part of the throat denuded of feathers. 



1. N. Percnopterus (L.) PI. enl. 407.429. — Vultur leucocephalus 

 et V. fuscus Gmel. Le Vaill. Ois. d'Afr. t. 14.; Percnopterus fegyp- 

 tiacus Steph. ; V. ginginianus Daud. Lath. Hist. pi. 5. ; V. sterco- 

 rarius La Peyr. ; V. albus Sand. ; V. fulvus Bodd. ; V. meleagris 

 Pall. Jard. & Selby's 111. Orn. pi. 33. 



2. N. pileatus (Burch.) Burch. Trav. S. Afr. 194. — Cathartes 

 monachus Temm. PL col. 222. ; N. carunculatus A. Smith ; Perc- 

 nopterus niger Less. 



Sarcoramphus Dum.-f 



Bill moderate, the base covered for above one third of its length with a soft cere, the apical part strong, 

 arched to the acute tip, and the sides slightly compressed ; the nostrils placed in the middle of the cere, 

 large, longitudinal, and exposed. Wings lengthened, pointed, Avith the third and fourth quills equal and 

 longest. Tail moderate, and even at its end. Tarsi rather shorter than the middle toe, plumed below 

 the knee, and covered with very small reticulated scales. Toes moderate, with the lateral ones short, 

 equal, and united with the middle by a membrane, the hind toe much shorter than the inner one and 

 wea*k ; the claws strong, moderate, and slightly curved. Head, neck, and front of the breast denuded of 

 feathers ; and the nostrils of the males furnished above with a caruncle. 



* Established by Savigny (Hist.de I'Egypte Zool. i. p. 75.) in 1809. Cuvier, in 1817, proposed Percnopterus for the same type. 

 f This genus was established by Dumeril in (Zoologie Analytique, p. 32.) 1806 ; and, in 1816, Vieillot proposed Gypagus, which is 

 oequal with the one used. 



