Vultures 



dizzy sport. Since the buzzard is gregarious, there are usually 

 a dozen great birds amusing themselves by wheeling through 

 space in pursuit of pleasure, and abandoning themselves to the 

 amusement with tireless ecstasy. Is it not probable that so 

 much exercise is taken to help digest the enormous amount of 

 carrion bolted ? For this reason, it is thought, the wood ibis soars 

 and gyrates. 



Other birds have utilitarian motives for keeping in the 

 air; several of the hawks, for example, do indeed sail about in a 

 similar graceful spiral flight, notably the red-tailed species, but 

 a sudden swoop or dive proves that its slow gyrations were 

 made with an eye directly fastened on a dinner. The crow 

 soars to fight the hawk that carries off its young; the king- 

 bird dashes upward to pursue the crow; but, amidst the quarrels 

 and cruelties of other birds, the turkey buzzard sails serenely 

 on its way, molested by none, since it attacks none, and 

 makes no enemies, feeding as it does, for the most part, on 

 carrion that none grudge it. The youngest chickens in the 

 barnyard show no alarm when a turkey buzzard alights 

 in their midst. They know that no more harmless creature 

 exists. It is the most common bird in the South, being 

 protected there by law in consideration of its services as 

 scavenger, whereas many tuneful song birds that destroy 

 innumerable insect pests for the farmer are wantonly killed. 

 Every field has its buzzards soaring overhead and casting 

 their shadows, like clouds, on the grain below. Depending 

 on their services, the farmers allow the dead horse, or pig, or 

 chicken to lie where it drops, for the vultures to peck at until 

 the bones are as clean ?.s if purified by an antiseptic. Fresh 

 meat has no attractions for them; their preference is for flesh 

 sufficiently fretid to aid their sight in searching for food, and on 

 such they will gorge until often unable to rise from the ground. 

 When disturbed in the act of overhauling a rubbish heap in the 

 environs of the city, for the bits of garbage that no goat would 

 touch, they express displeasure at a greedy rival by blowing 

 through the nose, making a low, hissing sound or grunt, the 

 only noise they ever utter, and by lifting their wings in a threat- 

 ening attitude. With both beak and claws capable of inflicting 

 painful injury, the buzzard resorts to the loathsome trick of 

 disgorging the foul contents of its stomach on an intruder. 



305 



