THE GRIFFON VULTURE. 25 



THE GRIFFON VULTURE, 



IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The character which principally distinguishes birds of the vulture tribe from the eagles and falcons 

 is the want of feathers on part of the head, and sometimes even on the whole head and neck ; they 

 are also distinguished by their voracious manners, as they never kill prey from choice, but in general 

 devour only such animals as are either dying, or are found dead and putrid. " They are, 1 ' says 

 Mr. Pennant, " greedy and voracious to a proverb, and not timid, for they prey in the midst of cities, 

 undaunted by mankind." After some of the battles of the East, where vast slaughter takes place of 

 elephants, horses, and men, voracious animals crowd to the field from all quarters ; and of these, 

 jackals, hyaenas, and vultures are the chief. Even in the places where the latter are otherwise seldom 

 observed, the plain will on such occasions be found covered with them. Vast multitudes will be seen 

 in the air, descending from every side, to partake of the carnage. It is the belief of the Indians, 

 that the vultures are brought to the place by an instinctive presentiment of slaughter some days before 

 the event. 



It is observed that vultures in general become less numerous as the climate becomes colder, and 

 that they are never found in the more northern countries. Their presence appears to be a kind 

 disposition of Providence in the hotter regions, to prevent the putrid effluvia of the dead from too 

 much injuring the health of the living. 



Although the field of battle affords the greatest latitude for the indulgence of their disgusting 

 appetites, and on which they congregate in the greatest number, it is, nevertheless, fortunately of rare 

 occurrence, and consequently their usual subsistence is obtained from the bodies of dead animals' 

 Their sense of smelling is so acute, that they are able to scent a dead body at the distance of many 

 miles, and they sometimes crowd to it in such numbers as actually to cover the object of their attack, 

 from which they tear the flesh in large pieces, and swallow them entire with an appetite truly 

 voracious. It is only when they are impelled by extreme hunger, that they venture to attack a 

 living creature, and when that is the case, the innocent inhabitants of the dove-cot, or of the poultry- 

 yard, are their chosen victims. It is an erroneous idea, that the vulture carries off its food in its 

 talons, for it is uniformly devoured on the spot, and even the food with which they rear their young 

 is first swallowed and then disgorged into the nest. 



The vultures have their bill straight, and hooked only at the end ; its edges are sharp, like a knife, 

 and the base is covered with a thin skin. The most remarkable of their external characters is the 

 want of plumage on the head and neck, which in the greater number of the species are covered by 

 nothing more than a kind of down, or by short smooth hairs.. The tongue is large, fleshy, and cleft 

 at the end ; the legs and feet are covered with great scales, and the first joint of the middle toe is 

 connected to that of the outermost by a strong membrane. The claws are large, somewhat hooked 

 and very blunt, and they are consequently unable to grasp their prey with sufficient force to transport 

 it through the air ; their eyes are placed on a level with their cheeks ; their heads are rounded at 

 the top, and they have frequently a ruff of considerable extent round the lower part of their neck. 



The Griffon Vulture is almost equal in size to the larger species of eagle ; the plumage is a reddish 



