File:The royal natural history (1893) (14598205559).jpg

Identifier: royalnaturalhist47lyde (find matches)
Title: The royal natural history
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors: Lydekker, Richard, 1849-1915 Sclater, Philip Lutley, 1829-1913 Frostick, W. B., former owner. DSI Brooks, W. T., former owner. DSI
Subjects: Zoology Natural history
Publisher: London and New York : Frederick Warne & Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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umage of a large portion of the upper-parts is cream-colour tending to fawn; the greater wing-coverts and quills, together with the lower part of the beak, rump, upper tail-coverts and tail, are black; and nearly tlie whole under surface white with a tinge of cream. Round the neck the feathers are deep grey; the beak is yellowish horn-colour, with a brown base; the feet are greyish black ; and the iris is white. The female is more soberly coloured, having the whole of the upper surface dark. AMERICAN VULTURES. 271 The king-vulture has a more northerly range than the condor, extending fromBrazil to Mexico, Texas, and Florida, and also occurring in Trinidad. Reaching inthe mountains to an elevation of about five thousand feet, this splendid bird hasits true home in primeval forest or well-wooded plains; and it is utterly unknownin dry open districts, or on barren mountains. A comparatively scarce bird, itroosts at night in low trees,—frequently in company,—and sallies forth at early
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KING-VULTURE (j uat. size). dawn in search of carrion and other food. Although the female is knoAvn to laytwo white eggs, there is some uncertainty as to the location of the nest. Azarawas told by the natives that it was always placed in hollow trees, but this hasbeen doubted by other writers; and Burmeister states that the nest is Ijuilt highup on a tree, frequently on the very sunnnit of one that is dead and bare. American The two remaining genera of the New World vultures are readily Black Vulture, distino-uished from the preceding ones by the absence of an erect wattle on the naked head in both sexes; while they are further characterised by the wings .2 72 DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY. being pointed and less than twice the length of the tail, with their primary quillsconsiderably longer than the secondaries. The present species (CatJiarista 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 o

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