The URUBU (_Cathartes aura_) is the first of the two species of American
Vultures that we have selected from amongst the many varieties inhabiting
the western continent, all of which, though differing somewhat in
appearance, bear so close a resemblance to each other in their habits
and mode of life that we shall content ourselves with speaking of them
collectively. The Urubu or "Turkey Buzzard," as it is called in North
America, is distinguished by its short thick beak, graduated tail, and
low tarsi. The head and bare parts of the neck are of a flesh colour,
deepest at the base of the beak, and become gradually paler towards
the nape; the top of the head is violet. The skin upon the brow and
nape hangs in thick folds, and that of the throat is overspread with
orange-coloured warts; a few bristle-like feathers are scattered over the
crown of the head and around the ears; the entire body, wings, and tail
are brownish black, and gleam with a metallic lustre. The beak is pale
red, and partially covered by the cere, in the upper part of which the
large oval nostrils are situated; the eyes are bright red, and have a
blueish grey circle around the pupil. The length of this species is about
twenty-two and its breadth sixty-three inches; the wing measures nineteen
inches and the tail ten and a half.