284 Sketches of Some Common Birds. 



birds adapted to their office of removing quickly from the 

 face of nature matter which rapidly decays. It is in- 

 dicative of wisdom in our legislators that the vultures are 

 protected by law; for this work is peculiar to these birds, 

 and its importance is obvious. It is probable that they 

 do not choose putrid food in preference to fresh carcasses; 

 but their claws and bills are not moved by strong muscles, 

 and hence can not be used in tearing apart the sound flesh, - 

 of animals recently dead. '. 



It is supposed, by persons who have given little thought 

 to the subject, that the turkey buzzards are guided in 

 their quest for prey chiefly by the sense of smell, which is 

 supposed to be extraordinarily keen. Intelligent ob- 

 servations and scientific investigation, however, thor- 

 oughly establishes the fact that the vultures are guided 

 almost solely in their search by their wonderfully pene- 

 trating and powerful sight. Indeed, experiments seem to 

 prove that the sense of smell is rather imperfect, being 

 perhaps somewhat blunted by the regular contact with 

 their off'ensive food. The turkey vultures, except in their 

 acute sight, seem to possess faculties somewhat dull; for 

 they have almost no voice, the only sounds they are known 

 to utter being the feeble hissing mentioned. As they are 

 such able aeronauts, the turkey vultures are veritable 

 " old salts" upon land. They are poorly adapted to ter- 

 restrial movements, though they walk well ; but they are 

 seen to hop more than walk, and sometimes further their 

 hopping movements by fla]3ping their wings at each hop. 

 Their walk suggests that their joints are stiffs, and they 

 droop their heads in a slovenlj^ manner. They rise from 

 the earth with undignified efforts ; for, in order to give 

 their body proper momentum, they bow themselves al- 

 most to the ground, and then throw their bodies into 

 the air with expanding pinions, flapping hurriedly and 

 strongly several times. Once in the air, however, their 

 carriage becomes easy, graceful, and dignified, their im- 

 perfections disappear, and they rank easily with the 

 masters of aerial evolutions. 



The turkey vultures begin to nest in this region about 

 the first of May, but sometimes in advanced seasons they 

 deposit the eggs in the latter part of April. Where they 



