The booke of falconrie or havvking for the onely delight and pleasure of all noblemen and gentlemen : collected out of the best authors, aswell Italians as Frenchmen, and some English practises withall concerning falconrie / heretofore published by George Turbervile, Gentleman.

Now as touching the Vultures, and first of the large ashe coloured or blacke Vulture.

[illustration] depiction of hawk

THere are two sorts of Vultures, to wit, the ashe maild, or blacke Vulture, and the browne or whitish Vulture.

First will I speake of the blacke or ashemaild Vulture, who is in deede more huge than the browne, for the ashe co∣loured Vulture is y^e most larg bird of prey that is to be found, and the female Vulture more large then the male, euen as it falleth out by experience in all kindes of birds of prey and ra∣uine.

The gréekes, they call the Vulture Gips, and the Latines Ʋulture.

This Hawke is a passenger in Egypt, more known by her coate and case thē otherwise, because the furriers do vse their skinnes for stomachers, to guarde and defend the breast a∣gainst the force of feruent cold.

All other birdes of prey doe differ from the Vulture, in that they are destitute and void of plumage vnder their winges, whereas the Vultures be there vested & couered with an ex∣cellent fine downe. Their skinne is thicke like a Goats skin, and namely you shall find vnder their gorge, a certain patch of the breadth of your hand, where the plume is somwhat in∣clining to a red, like the haire of a Calfe, for y^e kind of plume hath not a web fashioned, as other feathers are vsually shapt and proportioned, but are like vnto the downe which is to be found on eyther side the necke, & on the vpper part of y^e pini∣on & bent of the wing, in which parts the down is so white that it glistereth, and is as soft as silke.

The Vultures haue this one point special, and peculiar to themselues, in that they are rough legged, a thing that hap∣neth not to any other kind of Eagles or birds of prey.