366 Stone, Letters of Alexander Wilson and John Abbot. [oct 



The Islands & lower Country of the Southern parts of Georgia 

 is the great rendezoous of the Water birds but owing to the unhappy 

 times chiefly and other circumstances I have never yet had the 

 pleasure of visiting it. At the commencement of the War I had 

 undertaken to make a collection of stuffed Birds & as a complete 

 collection of Drawings of them in colors as I was able for a Gentle- 

 man in England but last fall in despair of seeing peace restored, I 

 retired into the Country after having made about 220 Drawings 

 throwed away a large collection of stuffed skins, have entirely laid 

 it aside, & entered into another line of employment, where I 

 am in hopes the mad and destructive Ambition of the rulers of the 

 world can but little interfere. 



The Carrion crow builds its nest in the large Trees of the thick 

 swamps over the lakes and the low wet swamps, I have never seen 

 the eggs but don't doubt they are in building the nest similar to 

 the other kind, they retire every evening to the swamps to roost. 

 They frequent the Butcher pens, Commons & the upper part of 

 the Town where the People live who butcher hogs in great numbers 

 & walk about the Streets like Domestic fowls. It is diverting 

 to see when they throw out any entrails & offal of the hogs to 

 see with what greediness they seize & scramble for it often one 

 swallowing one end & another the other & pulling against each 

 other till the strongest prevails, they often steal fresh meat when 

 put out on a shed or other place to dry in the Sun and when a horse 

 or dead cow is dragged out upon the commons they soon light upon 

 it in great numbers, the dogs interrupt them but are serviceable to 

 them in breaking the Animal up for them as I dont believe they 

 themselves can get thro the skin as they begin at the eyes and vent. 

 The Turkey Buzzard is accused of killing young Lambs & pigs 

 by picking out their eyes, but I believe this sort does not. I have 

 not observed a single T. Buzzard in Company with them, but a 

 few of the latter frequent some of the outskirts of the Town & 

 are also very gentle. It is only these that frequent the town & 

 common that are so domestic for if you meet with any of either 

 kind 2 or 3 miles from town, they are wild as the rest in the Country 

 but neither species is by any means a shy bird in Georgia. Hav- 

 ing killed one of the V. aura in the country as it became putrid 

 the scent attracted several of the V. atratus to settle on the trees 



