376 
SOUTHERN AFKICA, 
deeming this the more acceptable, as in no 
other published work has such been yet pre- 
sented. We divide them into the following 
classes: — 1. Vultures; 2. Eagles; 3. Falcons; 
4. Kites; 5. Hawks; 6. Buzzards; 7. Owls, 
Kavens, and Crows, &c. 
Of the first of these there are four varieties. 
The " Astvogel" or Common Gregarious Vul- 
ture of Kaffraria ; the " Condor " or Black Vul- 
ture; the " Ixalanga " of the Kaffirs, which is 
the Sociable Vulture ; and the "Egyptian Vul- 
ture." 
L — The "Astvogel" is the commonest kind, 
and flocks by thousands through every district 
of Southern Africa. It appears to be the " Vul- 
tur Fulvos" or Griffon Vulture. The head and 
neck are quite bald, the beak is massive and 
strong, the plumage is of a dirty white : it 
devours its food ravenously, and vomits it again 
to feed its young, or if wounded. It is a gre- 
garious bird, and feeds only on carrion. Across 
the wings it frequently measures seven and 
eight feet. It discovers its prey by sight, and 
not, as was supposed, by scent. This fact was 
ascertained by an experiment tried in Kaffir- 
land. A dead sheep was cut in two, one half 
was placed on the top of a precipice, exposed 
to view ; the other half was placed at the foot 
of the rock, immediately below the nest, but 
