35^ Hiftory of ANIMALS, 
Vultur pedibus flavis , dorfo fulvo. 
The tawny Vultur , yellow legs. 
Xf)e bjottm tEfttifttr* 
This is of the bignefs of a large capon: the head is large, and elevated, not flatted* 
as in the falcon-kind i the beak is long for a bird of prey ; it is very robufl and black; 
it runs ftraight a confiderable way from the head, but toward the point it bends down¬ 
ward, and becomes hooked : the membrane which covers it’s bafe is yellow, and the 
noftrils are very confpicuous in it; they are large, and fomewhat oblong : the eyes are 
larger and have a very fierce and cruel look ; their iris is of an orange colour. 
The head, the whole neck, and the upper part of the breafl: are wholly without 
feathers; they are covered, in the ftead of thefe, with a white, fhort, and foft 
woolly or downy matter, and on the hinder part of the neck, at it’s bottom, there 
are a number of very beautiful, oblong, and very narrow feathers } thefe are longer than 
any of thofe on the back or breafl, and of a paler colour, and more glofly: the back 
is of a tawny or yellowifli-brown • the breafl and belly are of the fame kind of co¬ 
lour, but fomewhat paler; and in the lower part of the belly, toward the infertion of 
the tail, there is a caft of whitifh : the upper part of the wings are of the fame 
tawny colour with the back, and the rump is aifo of the fame, only a little paler 
The long feathers of the wings are of a deep brown, approaching to blackiflis 
they are very long, and the plumage remarkably broad * their quills make the fineft of 
all pens for writing: the tail is compofed of feathers refembling thofe of the wings 
but not quite fo dark in colour. 6 * 
The legs are covered down, below the middle joint, with feathers of the fame browri 
colour with thofe of the body, except that they are a little paler : the naked part of 
the legs is yellow, and the toes are very ftrong, but not remarkably long 5 the claws 
however, make fo me amends for this, and are remarkably long and flharp. 
. This is a native of Paleftine and other parts of the Eaftj there are ufually feen 
large flights of them together, and they are lefs mifchievous than moft other of the 
large birds of prey : they take long flights, and rarely flop to do any mifchief: they 
feed on carcafles, and feem to have a very remarkable fcent, for they will aflemble iii 
companies, and go a great way to find them. We have fometimes had this fpecies 
alive with us, among the people who live by fhewing foreign creatures, but rarely i 
none of the authors who have written on birds have perfe&ly defcribed it. It comes 
the neareft to the Bcetic Vultur of Gefner before defcribed, but differs in many fo eflen- 
tial particulars, that it can by no means be allowed the fame fpecies. 
Vultur pedibus albefce?itibus, dorfo nigricante var legato. jZfyt 
The white-legged Vultur , with a black , variegated back. tUttltUt* 
This is the fmalleff of all the Vulturs properly fo called, but it is not the leaft beau¬ 
tiful : the bignefs is about that of a kite, but it is longer, in proportion to it’s breadth, 
and it’s legs are longer than in that bird : it alfo ffands more ereft, and in the whole 
makes a very elegant appearance : the head is fmall, and not flatted j the beak is mo¬ 
derately long and very robufl j it is ftraight a great way from the bafe, but toward the 
point it turns down, and is very fibarp and hooked : the colour is a deep blackifh, but 
it is covered, above half way from the bafe, with a yellowifh membrane, in which are 
placed the noftrils: thefe are long, and ftand tranfverfely : the eyes are very large and 
beautiful $ their iris is of a bright red, and the pupil is round and black. 
The head is naked, but the ikin which covers it is wrinkled, and is divided, as it 
were, along the top: the upper part of this fldn is blue, that below the eye yellow, 
and that on the top of the head is of a deep browni£h-red : the colours on the reft of 
the head are varied in the fame manner % the variations are quite irregular, and often 
the two fides of the head are quite unlike one another. 
The 
