240 VIEWS, &C. PHYSIOGNOMY OF PLANTS. 



far more useful than the latter in the great economy of 

 Nature for destroying and removing animal substances that 

 are becoming decomposed, and thus purifying the atmosphere 

 in the neighbourhood of human dwellings. In tropical 

 America, I have sometimes seen seventy or eighty of these 

 creatures collected round a dead ox ; and I am able, as an 

 eye-witness, to confirm the fact that has of late erroneously 

 been called in question by ornithologists, that the appearance of 

 one single king-vulture (who is not larger than the Gallinazos) 

 is sufficient to put a whole assemblage of these birds to 

 flight. No contest ever takes place ; but the Gallinazos (two 

 species of which, (Cathartes urubu and C. aura,) have been 

 confounded together by an unfortunately fluctuating nomen- 

 clature) are intimidated by the sudden appearance and the 

 courageous demeanour of the richly coloured "Sarcoram- 

 j)hus Papa." As the ancient Egyptians protected the Per- 

 cnopteri, which purified the atmosphere, so also the wanton 

 destruction of Gallinazos is punished in Peru by a fine 

 (midta), which, according to Gay, amounts in some cities to 

 300 piastres for every bird. It is a remarkable fact, that 

 this species of vulture, as was already testified by Don Felix 

 de Azara, if trained early, will so accustom themselves to the 

 person who has reared them, that they will follow him on a 

 journey for many miles, flying after his carriage across the 

 Pampa. 



(3) p. 211 — " Encloses their rotating hodies." 



Fontana, in his admirable treatise "on the poison of the 

 viper," vol. i. p. 62, mentions that he succeeded in restoring 

 to animation, after two hours' immersion in a drop of water, 

 a wheel-animalcule which had lain in a dried and motionless 

 condition for the space of two years and a half.* 



The so-called reanimation of Rotifera has very recently 

 again been made a subject of lively discussion, since observ- 

 ations have been conducted with more exactness and subjected 

 to a stricter criticism. Baker affirmed that in 1771, he had 

 revived paste-eels which Needham had given him in the year 

 1744! Franz Bauer saw his Vibrio tritici, which had lain 

 four years in a dry state, move on being moistened. The 



* On the action of water, see my Versuche iiber die gereizte Muskel- 

 und Nervenfaser, Bd. ii. S. 250. 



