Wfre fotind on the adult. These fleshy ap‘|be®ndagesllPlf the" same
. natn^'a^he^Wattles> &e. of Gallinaceot^a^bdsi,
' ’No partlo’f Oriilhologv^hdif been mdMfeonfiised in its» details
. than that'Mflative to the'Vultures, andtlrew synonyirly, especially
; the Eurbpean-spfecies, is almost inextricable: the old authors have
-heedlessly ^multiplied unllPeVeii composed, .species, «whilst the
‘ .modern have brought together the most confnfe^. citations under
4«diose which at las! theyMownded on the^ a ^ u l l ,obJfrvati^fe*of
•'^nature. 8 ^ge c o n g ra tu l^ o u rse lv e s th a t thn£ a sk o f^ ^ f e n o -
all these e^r,or-sj from w’hicl^m) writer withorfM&xcepjion .apjrelPs
■frfee, doeiwnot belong to us.
&vVile, gluttonous,-, and|m-e-emriifently Unclean, th e Vulturida; a |j |
oidy : birds pf-preyi-fhat keen togeth<Sr’i'n fLo&BM th F \e S I
,-fbuhdHh.s cowardly^^ they a r* indiscriminateRa^Pra .oifhrB tn ly
are too pusillanimou¬withstanding their nutabersy^m attack
living prey, and cohtfnr them|fi^es wit^jMe a b u r^ h t supply of
food: which is offered b y the yutrid^arcUsses of d e^^teimals.
In feety they appear to giVe the preference to t h m e ^ ^ ^ f l l |h®ir
disgusting" concomitants, and only i-esort ti^ fr#h% slauataered
animals when impelled -by extrffnei^iunglljH lIhkir s « | j f
Murage is.denoted by theircrbuSHnghttitudeniti^he h u ^ ^ ^ r
s^ lfc c ir deffifagtffcir.fi Creatures with such dispdsffiehs JSIsIlfpt
require from nature strength -or powerful weapons $ nothiftg Was
n ^ e d but p e li|Jaon of smelling, thatthey might from a distance
msTShVer tfffil£?appr<MM|^e figrodj ’aiidfiiis feculty th e^ po|sess in
an etmUent d eg re« ! Thfe|r nostrilslp ay » two larjpP k te rn al
ayertuTeby and an ext^sTye^lfactOry'*inbrane ivithih.
Though r e g a r d ^ j p l Sisgoia^for -tfe«iy-.fiithy h ab it^A ese
well known birds are extremely serviceable in hot^limftps, by
devouring all sorts of filth and impurities, and thus p K r v in g
th #atmosphere from the contamination Of noxious effluvia. On
this^ccount their cowardice Is protected by man, #ho in <|piized
AP well asH^agellifei alwayjp lbokl to, h il| oyfrn adygntage, and
■ does, nobf^MamftOj, Mggiktf use .of.,those for whom-glfesF cannot
help feelingfcontemte^ Besidesitheir usefulness during life, the
XulturdgKhave an, adpltiopA^eSunty' in their utter uselessness
when .dead, --Lxecwequenoe©f thektefo^d/their. body exhales^ a
djgmating^eflUd^Mii^lpd their sp ranks stringy^ and
unfaypury, thp'nothing absdlutevfa.mme,.can hfing any
ondwb • ta s te® f^ lt'.^ ^ ^T k ill no&^fecatitions in ..^poking can
overcome its natural bad odour, which prevails over the jaapst
powerful spices. But though not eatable themselves, ® teyj^eel
in^MckinWcle^Bto [the ver^S’raeiphev^ffiiiopjj tneyfeed upqjn,
dealing them as Dare^ as. if theap h ad .A en ^ c ay ^ ^lly jgcrajped.
pVithphis food, they gorge thenjPffivjQsj tp ■^ h .afltbyrp.e. as tq&be
P^apaMe of flight, and hardly ablg, to m W m o m e time,, and
then allow ojLa verv cIot» approach. In factytneir indqlenlpp
filthinfess, aM voracity, are almost.,incredible, j .
They are «birds of slow* flight, at all tinges, annraife themselves
from|Pu|?|round w^Ji difl^eu^ythough when surprised and closely
p u lp ed sper feesfaedHig;,, when they., aye almost Jielpless., they
cafjMghten themselvggg biYteaiOJniting up their superfluous meal,
sonmtinjesf^p the g^afi ‘shiriffyance nndplhen. at
orf©T take flight. Their ^ g n t isj exceedingly keep,, and is',ma.lv
inferjar in power to their senue of-smejiling, ^rhibh enables them
tOjidiscQiger tle ir peculiar food at grqat and incredible distances.
TheujareMull and heay ^ jfond of assembbng in flocks upon trees,
fiapythe s e ^ 'pgrched for hour^- together, sitting*with
their wiugs opep as ifwen^King their pmmage. .Tfeey wajnfwitb.
th ^hM y ine.li^ed-, lorwaroT the wings
tl^B p u n d . When. tUpy:iwish tp Spe flight,,st,bpy are. obliged to
nun- a few.. .R^ces, .Und thpp contract the body violently,«; Th eir
pight, thoug^sMy, |s protracted ;for p greater length, pf timci|ban
even perhaps that of the Eagle, though neore laborious and heavy.