SYNOPSIS. 
FAMILY I. VULTURINJ3. VULTURINE BIRDS, 
OR VULTURES. 
Bill of moderate length, stout, cerate ; upper mandible 
with the tip elongated and decurved ; lower mandible 
rounded and thin-edged at the end. Head rather small, or 
of moderate size, ovato-oblong, and with part of the neck 
destitute of feathers. Eyes of moderate size, without pro- 
jecting ridges. External aperture of ears rather small and 
simple. Skin over the fore part of the neck bare or merely 
downy. Tarsus rather stout, bare, and shorter than the 
middle toe ; hind toe much smaller than the second ; anterior 
toes connected at the base by a web ; claws large, mode- 
rately curved, rather acute. Plumage full and rather com- 
pact. Wings very long, subacuminate. CEsophagus exces- 
sively wide, and dilated into a crop ; stomach rather large, 
somewhat muscular, with a soft rugous epithelium ; intes- 
tine of moderate length and width ; coeca extremely small. 
The young when fledged have the head and upper part of 
the neck generally covered with down. Eggs commonly two. 
GENUS I. CATHARTES, Illiger. TURKEY-VULTURE. 
Bill of moderate length, rather slender, somewhat com- 
pressed ; upper mandible with its dorsal outline nearly 
straight and declinate to the end of the large cere, then 
decurved, the edges a little festooned, rather thick, the tip 
descending and rather obtuse ; lower mandible with the 
A 
