Birds. The latter place* before their progeny the'quivering limbs
óf their prey, that they. may learn to employ their beak and
talons. The Cultures', whose claws are not fitted for’ seizing and
bearing off their "spoils, disgorge into -the month óf their young
the contents".of theij* crop, from the nature of which this operation,
^so interesting when performed by a dove or acaUtey, becomes
in this case one of the most disgusting imaginable.
According to Belon, the Latin name Vultur is but a eontraC^m
of volaiu thé name Catkartes ''imagined by Illiger, medhs
in Greek, purger. Condor is a corruption of Cuntur, the true
appellation of# our sneeies in the Qqmchua language, derived,
•according to Humboldt, from the verb cunturi, to smell.
Although the largest of American Vultures, the ©ondor is
inferior in size to several of those which inhabit the old continent,
and even to the large Golden Vulture of eastern Europe. Both
sexes are very nearly of equal size; but the sUpèriority, rf any:, is
found as usual upon the side of the female; so that the;eomm@®
statement,of writers, that this sex is of less size* has no foundation
in fact:;
The adult male is always more than three feet long, and
measures nine feet from tip to tip of the extended wings , - glome
g ig an ^ ind ividuals are met with four feet long and twelve in
extent. The bill is dark brown colour’ at the base, somewhat
óf ^fem o n vAite pt tipiri The" tongue is entire, cartilaginous,
membranous, óvate-euneate, concave, beneath, serrated with spines,
^ n |h e margin. A longitudinal eompressed caruncle, or firm
Reshv crest extends from the top of the head to the front, and to
the Jrown^ portion of the bill. It is rounded before and behind,
«rSinus on the upper border, the lower frée for a short space at
each; extremky,c papillous, or Strongly wrinkled, and, as well as
Colour The nostrils are. oval-linear, and
i^th no hair^ surrounding them. The skin of the nèck alid crop
is bare; with the exception of some- scattered short aild rigid
hairs; it; is reddish, amh has twokshort pear-rshaped processts'
dependingfrom it. IfcaTwddntertwisted- fleshy strings^arisu from, the
bill',*pass ever the! auditory region, and descend along the sjd^pqf
the neck: these ■ ftejdwfe^orA^ucOMiire» by .-itu^d
specimens, tfflBfeppearance of a-* series of* tubercle^'or yripklefl
p^puberances: a double string.of a similar subs,taijiGei,paissiesubo.ve
the ey ey which '§s-itoaRy-p|ttoh»!i©s^ latQi&b heiug^set
fawbaofc’frCnf the; of "an oliv«aray.
cavernous structure enables» 3the;»' bird^lfi® -sw^l-l *0]ub all tfieff
appendages ‘ at ^pleasure, I like the ItoilftMeri
must be excepted, which is ver^disslmilar to^lne j^ c i^ p tttd u ld n s
©one of the Turkey, and incapable ©f dilatation$$<^|gp.p>rifi©£ qf
the ear is very large, subrounded, .bat bidden under tfie folds of
the temporal membrane., The ocCiputfeXhibits a fey short brown
brlsflcsi Around the lower part of, the ,neek ,abo;Sf©^i&a.beautiful
half collar of silky and very sdft down.; as .white as. snow, w^ieh
separates the naked parts from the feathered-body;? In1 front this
cnRjjlhis interrupted. and. the »eqk is bate down to the; ,b^|fk
plumage: this- gap in the collar can however only, be discp\y^ed
om close inspection. The wholp plumage is of a-vcry deep ramb
black; the- tips of the.-secondaries uptd th»r gtCatew
on the outer web only heing of a Whitish pearl-gray: the. fipst
seven outer quills are wholly black, twenty-seven .being whke on
their outer web : the third quill is the longest: ►•»’Vke wings are
three feet nihe inches long,f'.E©achang nearly to the tq ^ o fth e tail,
but4 nob passing beyond, as in the .closely related species the
Californian Condor. • The tail is very slightly rounded at the
end, rather short in proportion to the bird, measuring thirteen
i»eh®s«s, ; The feet are . bluish : the toes connected at their base by
a membrane.-
The female is entirety detUtute ofiCresf or other appendages.