86 



E N I T PI L G Y. 



Obs. — Very abundant in all the Southern United States, and thence 

 to Chili, very fine and well-characterized specimens from the latter 

 country having been brought by the United States Astronomical Ex- 

 pedition, under Lieut. Gilliss, and are jiow in the National Museum. 

 No instance of the occurrence of the black vulture as far north as Penn- 

 sylvania has ever come to our knowledge. 



Though met with constantly in the rural districts of the Southern 

 States, this bird shows great partiality for the cities, resorting to them 

 at all seasons in large numbers, and is protected in his avocation as 

 scavenger by the popular opinion of his usefulness. It rears its young 

 in the forests, making merely an excavation for its eggs in a dead log, 

 stump, or on the ground. 



7. Cathartes brasiliensis, Bonaparte. — The Black Vulture of 



South America. 



Cathartes LrasiUenm's, BoNAP. Consp. Avium, p. 9 (1850). 

 " Vultur brasiliensis, Ray." — BoNAP. as above. 

 Cathartes /oetetis, Illiger. 



Bufifon, PI. Enl. 187. 



Very similar to the preceding, but smaller. Head generally not so 

 much warted as the preceding, and frequently nearly smooth. Wings 

 long; tail rather short, truncate, or equal at the end; legs rather long. 

 Plumage ascending on the back of the neck. 



Entire plumage deep-black ; shafts of quills white ; under surface 

 of quills pale, nearly white ; head and legs dark ; bill dusky, yellowish 

 at tip. 



Total length about twenty inches ; wing fifteen and a half inches ; 

 tail seven and a half inches. 



Hab. — South America. Specimen in Mus. Acad. Philadelphia. 



Obs. — All the specimens of this bird that have come under our 

 notice have been from the Pacific coast of South America, and it is 

 not in our power at present to say whether it inhabits also the countries 

 on the Atlantic. Though apparently constantly smaller than C. aim- 



