THE SAVAGE , WORLD 
441 
Diamonds. The illustrations in The Savage World admirably represent the 
several species in life-like attitudes, and the manner of taking their prey. The 
coloring of this bird is found as a distinction of the male. The under parts are 
yellow, the back, wings and tail black with white shaftings, the forepart of the head 
cream-colored, and the sides of the head black. It wears a long black, bristly 
chin-beard, and the orange iris is surrounded by a blood-red coat. Its claws repre¬ 
sent the weaker variety belonging to the scavenger family, and hence the 
greater necessity for 
the ruses by which 
the bearded vulture 
converts a living ani¬ 
mal into a defenceless 
carcase. 
The Egyptian 
Vulture ( Neophron 
perenopterus) is found 
also in Europe and 
Asia. It frequently 
appears in Egyptian 
symbolism and is 
called Pharaoh's chick¬ 
en. Its usefulness as 
a scavenger assures it 
protection, although it 
quite frequently dese¬ 
crates the graveyards. 
The Arabian 
Vulture {Vulturmona- 
chus ) is not, as its name 
might suggest, confined 
to Arabia, but is com¬ 
mon throughout 
Europe, Asia and Af¬ 
rica. Parts of its neck 
and head are blue, 
though its prevailing 
tint is chocolate. It 
has the unique orna¬ 
ment of a tuft spring¬ 
ing from the point 
where the wing joins 
the body. 
Everything connected with the land of the Pharoahs has a strange fasci¬ 
nation for many persons, and hence this bird has been made the theme of 
many animated descriptions. It is protected alike by law and superstition, 
and therefore walks the streets of Egyptian cities as though they had been 
made for its convenience. In a country where the heat is so great, and clean 
linens so rare, the services of the Egyptian vulture are inestimable. 
The Turkey Buzzard ( Cathartes aura) is a common sight in the West and 
bearded vtjeTure ( Gypcztos barbatus). monk’s-gown vulture 
(Vullur monachus). 
