142 BLACK VULTURE. 
head, bill, and feet ; they go often in flocks, and roost together 
upon trees. ‘This species is very numerous, and is to be found 
in all the different climates ; while, on the contrary, the coz- 
caquauhtli is far from numerous, and is peculiar to the 
warmer climates alone.* The latter bird is larger than the 
zopilot, has a red head and feet, with a beak of a deep red 
colour, except towards its extremity, which is white. Its 
feathers are brown, except upon the neck and parts about the 
breast, which are of a reddish black. The wings are of an 
ash colour upon the inside, and upon the outside are varie- 
gated with black and tawny. 
“The cozcaquauhtli is called by the Mexicans king of the 
zopilots ; + and they say that when these two species happen 
to meet together about the same carrion, the zopilot never 
begins to eat till the cozcaquauhtli has tasted it. The zopilot 
is a most useful bird to that country, for it not only clears 
the fields, but attends the crocodiles, and destroys the eggs 
which the females of those dreadful amphibious animals leave 
in the sand to be hatched by the heat of the sun. The de- 
struction of such a bird ought to be prohibited under severe 
penalties.” { 
We are almost afraid of trespassing upon the patience of 
the reader by the length of our quotations ; but as we are 
very anxious that the subject of this article should enjoy that 
right to which it is fairly entitled, of being ranked as an in- 
dependent species, we are tempted to add one testimony more, 
which we find in the “ History of Chili,” by the Abbé Molina. 
“The jota (Vultur jota) resembles much the aura, a species 
of vulture of which there is, perhaps, but one variety. It is 
distinguished, however, by the beak, which is grey, with a 
black point. Notwithstanding the size of this bird, which is 
nearly that of the turkey, and its strong and crooked talons, 
* This is a mistake. 
+ This is the Vultur aura. The bird which now goes bythe name 
of king of the zopilots in New Spain is the Vultur papa of Linnzus. 
t Clavigero’s Mexico, translated by Cullen, vol. i. p. 47, London. 


