The Hiflory ^ANIMALS, 355 
frequently is obferved on the wing many hours together, about the fhores of rivers 
and lakes, preying on the fmall birds that frequent thofe places, for the fake of the 
infeCts about them. 
V U L T U R. 
f "I "'HE Vultur has four toes on each foot, and three of thefe are placed forward, 
only one backward : the neck is long and almoft bare of feathers, and the legs 
are covered with feathers down to the feet, or nearly fo, and under the throat 
there is a fpace covered with hair inftead of feathers : the head alfo, in many fpecies, 
is naked, or has, at the utmoft, only a downy matter on it, inftead of feathers, and 
the under part of the wings is downy. 
Vultur cinereo-nigrefcens cauda brevi . 5 C|)£ M&Clt 
The greyijh-black Vultur , with a Jhort tail. 
This is a very large, bat by no means a beautiful, Bird; it’s afpeCt is at once terri¬ 
ble and diftafteful j it is of the fize of a full-grown turkey : the head is large, and of 
a pale colour, approaching to whitifh j there are no feathers on it, but in their place 
there is a kind of downy or woolly matter: the eyes are very large and piercing : 
the beak is extreamly large, long, and formidable; it is not arched all the way as in 
moft birds, but it runs ftraight from the head, almoft to the extremity, where it turns 
round, and is very hooked j it is of a dufky, olive colour. 
The opening of the mouth is large, and the noftrils are oblong and tranfverfe : 
the neck is long, robuft, and thick, and it is alfo naked : at it’s lower part there is a 
large tuft or fringe of a woolly matter of a hand’s breadth, and of a pale colour. 
The back, and the upper part of the wings, are of a deep colour, approaching £0 
black j the breaft is of a paler hue, approaching to a deep iron grey, or of a mixt ap¬ 
pearance between that and a moufe-colour j the belly is ftill paler : the long feathers 
of the wings are of a deep moufe colour, almoft black : their under part is feme what 
paler, efpecially toward the interior edge; the under furface of the upper part is 
woolly, and of the colour of the tuft at the throat. 
The legs are very robuft and ftrong j they are • feathered in a beautiful manner 
very low, almoft to the toes: the feet have an appearance of peculiar ftrength, and 
the claws are very fharp and terrible : the tail is compofed of very large feathers, but it 
is not long; the wings are of a very great length; when clofed, they reach to the 
extremity of the tail, or very near it; and, when opened, they expand to a furprifing 
breadth : the colour is the fame dark one with that of the long feathers pf the wings, 
or rather more black than thofe. 
This is a very bold feeder, and is fo ftrong, that it is able to feize upon the young of 
the larger quadrupeds: it had been an opinion of the old writers, that the Vultur ne¬ 
ver killed any thing, but fed only on the carcafles of what it found dead, but that is 
found to be an error: it feizes on birds of almoft all kinds, and on fawns, young kids, 
and many other animals. It was alfo an opinion of the old writers, that no birds of 
prey were gregarious. Ariftotle declares them all folitary, but this alfo is an error: I 
have already obferved, that the common kite is in fome places fuch j and the Vulturs 
of this fpecies are fcarce ever feen, except in large flights. 
It is a native of many parts of the Eaft, but it is not known in the colder countries : 
moft of the writers on birds have deferibed it. Beilonius and Gefner call it Vultur 
cinereus; and Aldrovand, Vultur niger; we very rarely fee it in Europe. The Duke 
of Richmond had two in great perfection among his living curiofities at Goodwood. 
Vultur 
