22 BULLETIN 16 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



where one or more were already roosting, and the impact of the landing bird 

 would throw them off their balance and result in many awkward and ludicrous 

 l)alanciug movements. Often they would sit and preen, and some were always 

 watching the movements of the neighborhood, cocking their heads first on one 

 side and then on the other to see each newcomer. A few seemed to be resting, 

 oblivious of what was going on. There were 71 in three trees at 5 p. m., 

 113 at 5.25, and 147 at 5.55. 



While brooding small young, the turkey vulture sticks to the nest 

 tenaciously, appearing very tame or stupid, allowing itself to be 

 handled or even feigning death. Mr. Tyrrell got close enough to one 

 "to grab her, and lifted her off the young, she not showing any resist- 

 ance. As I lifted her, she disgorged a mass of half-digested, decayed 

 flesh that was plenty odorous. I held her over the nest by her wings, 

 and every time we let her go, she would put her head under the log 

 with only her back showing. We thought she must be sick or 

 wounded, for she acted so queerly, always with her head hanging 

 and not showing the least inclination to get away. It was suggested 

 that we put her on top of the log and possibly get a picture of her, 

 so we did; but no sooner had she touched the log than off she flew, 

 soon to be joined by her mate." 



Speaking of their relation to other birds, Skinner notes that 

 "small birds had no fear of the buzzards and vultures flying over, 

 although they quickly took alarm if a hawk appeared. Buzzards 

 often swept over w^ithin a hundred feet of doves, meadowlarks 

 * * * and many others without alarming them in the least." 



Since the days of Audubon naturalists have speculated on whether 

 the vulture finds its food by sight or by scent. They have sought 

 to find the answer by experiments on the bird and have published 

 the results of many of these. After going carefully over the litera- 

 ture on this fascinating subject — too large a field to do more than 

 summarize here — a reader cannot feel convinced that the problem 

 has been definitely solved, even now. The evidence shows him that 

 the vulture has keen eyesight and that it has an acute sense of smell. 

 The reader finds running through the controversy, however, a great 

 deal of contradiction and refutation; no one article stands out as 

 indisputable proof on either side to the exclusion of the other side, 

 and many experiments present to the vulture problems that it would 

 never meet under natural conditions. 



Experiments in which food is concealed in boxes, covered by 

 canvas, or wrapped up in paper parcels make trial only of the bird's 

 ingenuity ; they do not call for the employment of the faculties with 

 which nature has equipped the bird to use in finding its food. On 

 the other hand, the experiment of exposing to the vulture's view 

 the stuffed skin of an animal arranged to simulate a carcass does 

 call into play the food associations of the bird. However, when the 



