TRAVELS IN 
I48 
long, and bare of feathers a great length above 
the knees, are of a dark dull greenifh 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 cauled by inundations ; and alfo 
in the vaft defer ted rice plantations : he ftands 
alone on the topmod limb of tall dead cyprefs trees, 
his neck contracted or drawn in upon his fhoulders, 
and beak refting like a long fcythe upon his bread : 
in this penfive podure and folitary fituation, it 
looks extremely grave, forrowful, and melancholy, as 
if in the deeped thought. They are never feen on 
the fait fea coad, and yet are never found at a great 
didance from it. I take this bird to be of a different 
genus from the tantalus, and perhaps it approaches 
the neared 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 hidory: the fird we 
fhall defcribe is a beautiful bird, near the fize of 
a turkey buzzard f , but his wings are much fhorter, 
and confequently he falls greatly below that admi- 
rable bird in fail. I fhall call this bird the painted 
vulture. The bill is long and draight almod to 
the point, when it is hooked or bent luddenly down 
and fharp ; the head and neck bare of feathers 
nearly down to the domaeh, when the feathers be- 
gin to cover the fkin, and foon become long and 
of a foft texture, forming a ruff or tippet, in which 
the bird by contracting his neck can hide that as 
* Vultur facra. -f- Vultur aurea. 
well 
