29 



CHESNUT VULTURE. 



Vultur castaneus. V. fusciis, capite colloque lanuginosis albidis, 



torque subfusco, remigibus candaque nigris. 

 Chesnut Vulture, with whitish downy head and neck, brownish 



ruff, and black wing and tail-feathers. 

 Le Percnoptere. Buff. ois. I, p. I4g, PL Enl. 426. 



The present species, viz. the Percnoptere of 

 BulTon, and which seems to be often mistaken by 

 authors for the Vultur Percnopterus of Linnaeus, 

 appears to differ so little in its general aspect 

 from the Fulvous Vulture, that one would be in- 

 clined to suppose it no other than a variety of the 

 same bird, which, no doubt, like most others, oc- 

 casionally varies in the cast of its plumage, in- 

 clining more or less either to fulvous, pale, or deep 

 brown in different individuals. 



The description of Buffon states that the head 

 is pale blue, the neck white and naked, or covered 

 like the head merely with a white down, and fur- 

 nished with a collar of small, white, hard feathers 

 below the neck, like a ruff; the iris reddish yellow; 

 the bill and cere black ; the hook of the bill whit- 

 ish: the lower part of the feet and legs naked, and 

 of a lead-colour; the claws black, shorter and 

 straiter than those of arj Eagle. It is remarkable 

 for a brov^n spot shaped like a heart, and edged 

 with a strait white line, situated on the breast 

 under the ruff. In general this bird is of an ugly 

 and ill-proportioned figure, and has even a dis- 

 gusting appearance, from the continual flux of 



