12 
THE ZOO IN A FROST 
young vulture is an accidental visitor. The frosts of 
winter are mainly interesting at the Zoo as the time 
when the inmates exhibit the full beauty and vitality 
of vigorous maturity. 
Note. — Since the above notes were written, the young king vul- 
ture has grown to full maturity, and is an even more interesting bird 
than its early promise indicated. At the end of July 1894 it was 
full-grown and in perfect plumage, every feather being distinct and 
unbroken. It is black from the crown to the legs, without a single 
white feather, and has none of the unpleasant appearance of the 
less noble vultures. So devoted is it to its keeper, that when some 
of the gigantic Seychelles tortoises were introduced into the large 
house in which it lives, it rushed at them to drive them away the 
moment he entered the house to feed it, and stood between him 
and the horny monsters, its wings wide stretched and its beak 
open and hissing. It still lies down to be caressed, and is in 
every way a very handsome and interesting bird. 
