Page:The birds of America, volume 1.djvu/22

 14 CALIFORNIAN VULTURE. head to beyond the nostrils, and a semicircular space before the eye, are closely covered with very small firm feathers; the fore part of the neck is longitudinally, the occiput and hind neck transversely wrinkled. Plumage full, compact; feathers of the ruff and fore part of the breast lanceolate and acuminate, of the upper parts ovato-elliptical, broadly rounded, and glossy. Wings very long, ample, concave; primaries finely acuminate, secondaries rounded; the first quill two inches and a half shorter than the second, which is half an inch shorter than the third, the latter exceeded by the fourth by half an inch, and equal to the fifth. Tail of moderate length, nearly even, of twelve broad, rounded feathers. The horny part of the bill yellow; the cere and naked part of the head and neck yellowish-red. Iris dark hazel. Feet yellowish-grey, claws brownish-black. The general colour of the plumage is greyish-black, the feathers of the upper parts narrowly margined with light brown and grey; the secondaries light grey externally, as are the edges of the primaries; the margins of the inner secondaries toward the base, and those of the secondary coverts, with a large portion of the extremity of the latter, are white. The feathers on the sides under the wing, the axillaries, and many of the lower wing-coverts, are white. Length to end of tail 55 inches; bill along the ridge 4|-, along the edge of lower mandible 3^; wing from flexure 34; tail 16; tarsus 4j; hind toe l^f, its claw li; second toe 2, its claw 1||; third toe 4i, its claw 2; fourth toe 2 T 9 2, its claw 1 T 4 2. The young have the horny part of the bill dusky yellowish-grey; the head and neck covered with dull brown very soft down; the feet greyish- yellow, the scutella darker, the claws brownish-black. The general colour of the plumage is blackish-brown, the feathers on the upper part strongly tinged with grey, especially the secondary quills; the feathers of the back edged with light brown, the secondary coverts tipped with brownish-white. The feathers on the sides under the wing, the axillaries, and some of the lower wing-coverts white, with the centre dusky. Length to end of tail 4S inches; bill along the ridge 4; wing from flexure 32; tail 16; tarsus 4; middle toe 4, its claw 1-,%.