1SS7.] Sayles on the Sense of Smell in Catltartes aura. CC 



Secondly, he takes "a wheelbarrow-load of tempting carrion," 

 completely covers it from view with canvas and scatters fresh 

 meat above the canvas. The Buzzards come and eat the fresh 

 meat, picking it piece by piece from the canvas covering ; but 

 did not tear off the covering and get at the carrion. Very well. 

 Now he leaves us with the impression that he concludes that 

 the Buzzards did not smell that carrion at all. Undoubtedly, 

 however, the Buzzards thought themselves eating the very carrion 

 itself; and, when they had eaten all they saw, they supposed that 

 no more remained. This was only their usual experience. When 

 they eat carrion from the ground, there always remains a great 

 deal of stench in the ground, but the}- have no appetite for fetid 

 ground, so they do not tear it up and fill their craws with it ; 

 no more did their stomachs have a craving for stinking canvas. 



Mr. Darwin walked before the Condors with fresh meat se- 

 curely wrapped in white paper, and the Condors took not the 

 least notice of it ; but so soon as the old male Condor got his nose 

 down so he could take the air, he seized it, and tore off the paper 

 in an instant. Now, Mr. Darwin forgot to tell us which wav the 

 wind blew, or whether or not there was any wind at all. His ex- 

 periment proves absolutelv nothing. 



I have now some observations that are positive, relative to the 

 keenness of the smelling power of the Turkey Buzzard. 



In Christmas week, 1S74. my folks in Virginia killed their 

 hogs. As country women usually do, they saved the coarsest 

 offal, put it in a pot, and set it away in the corner of the meat- 

 house, intending to add the ley. of wood-ashes, cut the grease, and 

 make soap of it. The pot was forgotten. I was at the North at 

 that time, and returned in February, knowing nothing of the pot. 



In April, that pot revealed itself by serving a writ of eject- 

 ment on any one that ventured into the meat-house. It was 

 discovered, and itself was ejected from the meat-house to the 

 woodshed one evening, of which proceedings I knew nothing. 



I am an early riser. Next morning, as soon as light, I was 

 up and about the chores of the plantation. I had occasion to 

 pass through the wood-house ; and I went out faster than I went 

 in. The dogs had found that pot full of stench and had eaten all 

 their stomachs could endure. 



The wind was blowing a furious gale from the east. It was 

 all a man could do to keep his feet. About sunrise I chanced 



