No. 3 
REPORT UPON THE BIRDS COLLECTED ON THE SURVEY. 
CHAPTER I.- 
LAND BIRDS, BY J. G. COOPER, M. D. 
ORDER I. RAPTORES. Birds of Prey. 
Family VULTURIDAE. The Vultures. 
CATHARTES AURA, 111 i g e r. 
The Turkey'Buzzard, or Vulture. 
Vuliur aura, Linn. Syst. Nat. I., 122, (1766.) 
Cathartes avra, Illig. Prod. Syst., p. 236. 
Cathartes aura, (Linn.) Cassin, Gen. Rep. Birds, p. 4. 
C. septentrionalis, De Weid, Reise, I, 162, (1839.) 
Figures. —Wilson Am. Orn. IX, pi. 75, fig. 1; Aud. B. of Am. pi. 151, oct. ed., I, pi. 2. 
Sp. Ch. —Bare skin of head and neck, red. Female: length about 30; wing, 23; tail, 12 inches. Male smaller, (as in all 
rapacious birds.) 
The turkey buzzard is very abundant during summer in all parts of the Territory I have 
visited, frequenting the vicinity of prairies and river banks, and never appearing along the 
coast. They arrived at Puget Sound about the middle of May, and flocks of them could be 
seen daily about the carcasses of sheep; but I never observed any other species in company 
with them. I have not seen their nests, but have no doubt that they build in the Territory.—C. 
The turkey vulture was found by me both at Fort Dalles, Oregon Territory, and on Puget 
Sound, Washington Territory. It is, however, but sparingly abundant. On the Nisqually 
plains I frequently saw them in couples, or sometimes in small groups of half a dozen, 
surrounding dead sheep or other carrion. 
On the route of the Northern Pacific Railroad survey I shot one of these birds on the Bois 
des Sioux river, which is a tributary of the Red River of the North, and not far far from 
Pembina, thus corroborating Mr. Say’s statement of having observed them in that place.—S> 
