148 
TRAVELS IN 
long, and bare of feathers a great length above 
the knees are of a dark dull greenifli colour : it 
has a fmall bag or pouch under its throat ; it feeds 
on ferpents, young alligators, frogs, and other rep- 
tiles. 
This folitary bird does not affociate in flocks, but 
is generally feen alone ; commonly near the banks 
of great rivers, in vaft marfhes or meadows, efpe- 
cially fuch as are caufed by inundations ; and alfo 
in the vaft deferted rice plantations : he {lands 
alone on the topmoft limb of tall dead cyprefs trees ? 
his neck contracted or draivn in upon his moulders* 
and beak refting like a long fcythe upon his breaft : 
in this penfive pofture and folitary fituation, it 
looks extremely grave, forrowful, and melancholy, as 
if in the deepen: thought. They are never feen on 
the fait fea coaft, and yet^re never found at a great 
diftance from it. I take this bird to be of a different 
genus from the tantalus, and perhaps It approaches 
the neareft to the Egyptian ibis of any other bird yet 
known. 
There are two fpecies of vultures * in thefe re- 
gions, I think not mentioned in hiftory : the firft we 
(hall defcribe is a beautiful bird, near the iize of 
a turkey buzzard f, but his wings are much Jhorter, 
and coniequently he falls greatly below that admi- 
rable bird in fail. I mall call this bird the painted 
vulture. The bill is long and ftraight almofl to 
the point, when it is hooked or bent fuddenly down 
and {harp; the head and neck bare of feathers 
nearly down to the ftomach, when the featners be- 
gin to cover the {kin, and foon become long and 
of a foft texture, forming a rurF or tippet, in which 
live bird by contracting his neck can hide that as 
* Vultur facra, t Vultur aure*. 
well 
