30 The Official Guide to the 
United States as the ‘‘ Turkey Buzzard,” a large series - 
of these will be found differing considerably in size. 
On the floor of the case is a fine group of one of the 
most highly prized species in the Museum, z7z., the 
Californian Vulture (Pseudogryphus californianus), a 
grand species frequenting Rocky Mountains and the 
North-western shore of America, from Southern 
Mexico northward to Oregon, but now almost extinct. 
A fine series of these birds will be found with nestling, 
eggs, and skeleton, and some of the soft parts are in 
spirits. 
Case IV. 
contains the great American Condors from the Andes, 
the largest bird of prey known, and four King 
Vultures (with skeleton and eggs). The latter 
beautiful species inhabits the tropical parts of America, 
and gains its appellation, says Mr. Gurney, from the 
circumstance that the other Vultures inhabiting the 
same district never venture to alight on the carcase 
at which it is feeding until he “has satisfied his royal 
appetite, and with slowly flapping pinions, has winged 
his way to the dead limb of some lofty tree, where, 
with his crimson head and purple neck nestled down 
between the cream-coloured feathers of his wings and 
shoulders, he will patiently sit till the return of hunger 
recalls him from the memories of his last feast to a 
quest for the repast which shall succeed it.” In 
Case V. 
is a very fine old example of the Oricou Vulture 
(Otozyps aur.culavis), which lived in Mr. Gurney’s 
aviary from the year 1855 to 1877, where she was 
well-known as Mrs. Stockings, from the white feathers 
of the thigh. During her long confinement she laid 
