, 6) and 28c, it is attacking a human being, in the first and
last cases represented as dead. In 86a and 87a, the bird is shown
plucking out the eye of a man. In Dresden 3a (Pl. 19, fig. 7), it
appears at the top of the tree above the human sacrifice and seems to be
in the act of consuming the victim. In Tro-Cortesianus 91c, it also
appears in a tree. In Tro-Cortesianus 40a (Pl. 17, fig. 9), and 42a (Pl.
19, fig. 1), it is shown as eating the entrails of a deer. In the first
case, the bird looks like a king vulture, although this is the only
instance where this species is shown as a bird of prey. In
Tro-Cortesianus 28b and 36b (Pl. 18, fig. 17), the black vulture appears
eating the Kan sign. In the first example, the _Kan_ represents the
newly sowed corn, in the second, the _Kan_ is held by god F. Landa
(1864, p. 230)[333-*] records that in the _Cauac_ year there was a
ceremony to prevent the ants and the birds devouring the corn. In
Dresden 34b and 35b, the vulture is shown on top of the head-dress of
god F, evidently the enemy of the harvest and, again, on 35b (Pl. 19,
fig. 4) on top of the _Cauac_ sign. Its role as a bird of prey is
further shown in Dresden 36b (Pl. 19, fig. 11), where it is shown
attacking a serpent.

This vulture is associated with god B in Dresden 69b, with god M in
Tro-Cortesianus 70a (Pl. 18, fig. 12), and with god D in Tro-Cortesianus
67a (Pl. 17, fig. 1). The last may be the king rather than the black
vulture, as suggested above. The black vulture occurs only once as the
usual head-dress, in Dresden 17b (Pl. 18, fig. 13), and here in
connection with a female figure and the idea of birth. Two birds,
probably vultures, appear over the enclosure around the head of god C in
Tro-Cortesianus 100b (Pl. 19, fig. 12). In the Lower Chamber of the
Temple of the Tigers occurs a black vulture in bas-relief with a
necklace represented (Pl. 19, fig. 14).

The glyph of the king vulture has already been discussed. There are
other glyphs which seem to show the black vulture, although it is quite
possible that no sharp distinction was made between the two in regard
to the glyphs at least. In one case (Pl. 18, fig. 18), the wrinkled skin
of the head and neck is indicated much as in the case of the king
vulture. A few other glyphs are shown (Pl. 18, figs. 16, 19, 22, 27), as
well as a variety from the Nuttall Codex in which the minute hair-like
feathers of the head are variously represented, usually much exaggera