. A history of British birds . k, and circular ruff of dull whitishdown ; the lanceolate feathers below the circular ruff, theplumage of the upper surface of the body and the wing-coverts,light yellowish-brown; the shaft of each feather of lightwood brown; the primaries and tail-feathers dark clovebrown ; the lower part of the neck in front, and the upperpart of the breast dull white, mixed with light brown ; undersurface of the body reddish yellow-brown ; the smaller underwing-coverts light brown ; the large under wing-covertsalmost white ; the legs and toes lead colour; the claws black;the a
. A history of British birds . k, and circular ruff of dull whitishdown ; the lanceolate feathers below the circular ruff, theplumage of the upper surface of the body and the wing-coverts,light yellowish-brown; the shaft of each feather of lightwood brown; the primaries and tail-feathers dark clovebrown ; the lower part of the neck in front, and the upperpart of the breast dull white, mixed with light brown ; undersurface of the body reddish yellow-brown ; the smaller underwing-coverts light brown ; the large under wing-covertsalmost white ; the legs and toes lead colour; the claws black;the anterior portion of each toe covered with six large scales,the remaining portion and the legs reticulated. A specimen, sent to the Zoological Society by Sir ThomasKeade, from Tunis, measured, from the point of the beak tothe end of the tail, three feet eight inches ; from the anteriorbend of the wing to the end of the longest quill, twenty-seven inches ; the middle toe and claw five inches. ACUIPITRES. VULTURlDjf:.. Neophron percnopterus (Liniineus*).THE EGYPTIAN VULTURE. Neo2^hroii ijercnoptcrus. Neophron, Saviynyf.—Beak straight, slender, elongated, roinided above,encircled at the base with a naked cere, which extends more than half the lengthof the beak : upper mandible with straight edges, hooked at the tip ; undermandible blunt, and shorter than the upper. Nostrils, near the middle of thebeak, elongated, longitudinal. Head and neck partly bare of feathers. Wingslong, rather pointed ; the third quill-feather the longest. Legs of moderatestrength and length ; tarsi reticulated ; feet with four toes, three before, onebehind ; anterior toes united at the base. Tail-feathers fourteen. Two examples of this Vulture were seen on the shores ofthe Bristol Channel, and one of them, now in the jwssessionof the Eev, John Matthew, of Kilve, in Somersetshire, wasshot near that place in Octoher, 1825. When first dis-covered, it was feeding upon the carcass of a dead sheep, a
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsaun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
