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DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY. 
being pointed and less than twice the length of the tail, with their primary quills 
considerably longer than the secondaries. The present species (Catharista atrata), 
which is the sole representative of its genus, is characterised by the squared ex¬ 
tremity of the tail, and by the interval between the tips of the primaries and 
secondaries being less than the length of the metatarsus. In colour the black 
vulture is a nearly uniform black, although the shafts of the primary quills are 
AMERICAN BLACK VULTURE ($ nat. size). 
white on both sides, and those of the tail-feathers brown above and white beneath. 
Both the beak and feet are bluish, while the iris is dark brown. The total length 
is only about 25 inches. Its regular range extends from about the northern 
frontier of Patagonia to North Carolina and Texas; while irregularly, or casually, 
the bird is found as far north as New York and South Dakota. In the States 
it is commonly known as the carrion crow. With the exception of the extreme 
northern portion of its range, the black vulture is a resident species in the 
districts it frequents; and is far more abundant near the coast than in the 
interior, in the United States being more numerous than the turkey-vulture 
