128 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



A few crows came to the carcass now and then, as food of 

 all kinds was scarce; and when they came the cowardly 

 buzzards always gave way with squeals and demonstrations 

 of anger and disappointment. As soon as the crows had 

 completed their meal and left the carcass, again the buz- 

 zards fell to greedily. They seemed to eat like famished 

 creatures, fighting and eating as rapidly as possible. When 

 they were gorged to the limit, they merely hopped oS a 

 few feet and waited until they were able to eat more. 

 Evidently it is the custom of these birds to feed raven- 

 ously when food can be found and then to go long periods 

 without food. Doubtless the fact that they can fly without 

 expending energy in flapping their wings enables them 

 to live on much less food than other birds whose flying is 

 vigorous exercise. 



The second day after this animal had been dragged to 

 the pasture a bald eagle appeared on the scene, the first 

 I had ever seen, and for two or three hours, while he was 

 feeding, not a buzzard dared venture closer than fifteen 

 or twenty feet. If an overly anxious buzzard came a lit- 

 tle too close, all the eagle had to do was to straighten up 

 to full height and the cowardly bird ran like a rat from 

 a dog. 



Until some fifteen or twenty years ago, when I was rais- 

 ing poultry quite extensively, I had supposed these birds 

 never ate anything but carrion. At that time we had a 

 number of sick chickens — not sick enough to die, but 

 half blind with swollen heads and so weak that they stood 

 about paying little attention to anything that was going 

 on about them. Suddenly one day two buzzards alighted 

 in the poultry yard and each attacked one of these poor 

 sick fowl. Since then I have seen buzzards follow for 



