102 



TURKEY VULTURE 



from the hind head to the neck feathers the space is covered with 

 down of a sooty black color ; the fore part of the neck is bare as 

 far as the breast bone, the skin on the lower part, or pouch, very 

 much wrinkled, this naked skin is not discernable without remov- 

 ing the plumage which arches over it; the whole lower parts, lin- 

 ing of the wings, rump and tail coverts are of a sooty brown, the 

 feathers of the belly and vent hairy ; the plumage of the neck is 

 large and tumid, and, with that of the back and shoulders, black ; 

 the scapulars and secondaries are black on their outer webs, skirt- 

 ed with tawny brown, the latter slightly tipped with white; prima- 

 ries and their coverts plain brown, the former pointed, third pri- 

 mary the longest ; coverts of the secondaries, and lesser coverts 

 tawny brown, centred with black, some of the feathers at their 

 extremities slightly edged with white ; the tail is twelve inches 

 long, rounded, of a brownish black, and composed of twelve fea- 

 thers, which are broad at their extremities ; inside of wings and 

 tail light ash ; the wings reach to the end of the tail ; the whole 

 body and neck beneath the plumage are thickly clothed with a 

 white down, which feels like cotton; the shafts of the primaries 

 are yellowish white above, and those of the tail brown, both pure 

 white below ; the plumage of the neck, back, shoulders, scapulars 

 and secondaries is glossed with green and bronze, and has purple 

 reflections ; the thighs are feathered to the knees ; feet considera- 

 bly webbed ; middle toe three inches and a half in length, and 

 about an inch and a half longer than the outer one, which is the 

 next longest ; the sole of the foot is hard and rough ; claws dark 

 horn color; the legs are of a pale flesh color, and three inches 

 long. The claws are larger, but the feet slenderer than those of 

 the Carrion-crow. The bill of the male is pure white, in some 

 specimens the upper mandible is tipt with black. There is little 

 or no other perceptible difference between the sexes. 



The bird from which the foregoing description was taken, 

 was shot for this work, at Great Egg-harbor, the thirtieth of last 



