Mr Audubon m the Habits of the Turhey Buzzard. 177 



bird, quite discomfited at his confinement, lashed both with 

 great violence with his bill. Fearing the death of the young, I 

 took them out, and fed plentifully the old bird ; his appetite 

 had become so great through fasting, that he ate too much, and 

 died of suffocation. 



I could enumerate many more instances, indicating that the 

 power of smelling in these birds has been grossly exaggerated, 

 and that, if they can smell objects at any distance, they can see 

 the same objects much farther. I would ask any observer of 

 the habits of birds. Why, if vultures could smell at a great dis- 

 tance their prey, they should spend the greater portion of their 

 lives hunting for it, when they are naturally so lazy, that, if fed 

 in one place, they never will leave it, and merely make such 

 a change as is absolutely necessary to enable them to reach it ? 

 But I will now enter on their habits, and you will easily discover 

 how this far-famed power has originated. 



Vultures are gregarious, and often associate in flocks of twenty, 

 forty, or more ; — hunting thus together, they fly in sight of each 

 other, and thus cover an immense extent of country. A flock of 

 twenty may easily survey an area of two miles, as they go turn- 

 ing in large circles, often intersecting each other in their lines, 

 as if forming a vast chain of rounded links ; — some are high, 

 whilst others are low ;-~-not a spot is passed unseen, and, con- 

 sequently, the moment that a prey is discovered, the favoured 

 bird rounds to, and by the impetuosity of its movements, gives 

 notice to its nearest companion, who immediately follows him^ 

 and is successively attended by all the rest. - Thus, the farthest 

 from the discoverer being at a considerable distance, sails in a 

 direct line toward the spot indicated to him by the flight of the 

 others, who all have gone in a straight course before him, with 

 the appearance of being impelled by this extraordinary power of 

 smelling, so erroneously granted them. If the object discovered 

 is large, lately dead, and covered with a skin too tough to be ate 

 and torn asunder, and afford free scope to their appetite, they 

 remain about it, and in the neighbourhood. Perched on high, 

 dead limbs, in such conspicuous positions, are easily seen by 

 other vultures, who, through habit, know the meaning of 

 such stoppages, and join the first flock, going also directly, 



OCTOBER I^FXEMBER 1826. M 



