THE VULTURE. 



where there is not a blade of grass to tempt a living bird or 

 animal, and no inducement therefore for birds of prey to 

 scour those vast wildernesses in search of game, should a 

 camel or other beast of burden drop under its load in the 

 train of a caravan, in less than half an hour there will be 

 seen, high in the air, a number of the smallest specks, moving 

 slowly round in circles, and gradually growing larger and 

 larger as they descend in spiral windings towards the earth ; 

 these are the Vultures, but whence they come, or by what 

 sign or call they are collected at a height beyond the reach of 

 the human eye, is still a mystery; though we are much 

 inclined to suspect that they derive their information from an 

 indiscriminate use of both these senses, possessed of an acute- 

 ness far beyond our experience or comprehension. 



Instances without number might be mentioned, in which 

 the gifts of sight and smelling seem to rival each other. We 

 will add the following respecting the power of each, related 

 by an intelligent observer of nature in Jamaica : two relating 

 to the sense of smelling, the two others to that of sight, and 

 a third including both, with the addition of hearing. A poor 

 German emigrant, who lived alone in a detached cottage, rose 

 from his bed after a two days' confinement by fever, to 

 purchase in the market some fresh meat for a little soup, but 

 before he could do more than prepare the several ingredients 

 of herbs and roots, and put his meat in order for the prepara- 

 tion of his pottage, the paroxysm of fever returned, and he 

 laid himself on his bed exhausted. Two days passed in this 

 state of helplessness, by which time the mess of meat and 

 pot-herbs had putrefied. The stench becoming very perceptible 

 in the neighbourhood, Vulture after Vulture, as they sailed 

 past, was observed always to descend to the cottage of the 

 German, and to sweep round, as if they were aware of some 

 putrid carcase, but could not find out where it was. This at 

 length led the neighbours to suspect that the poor man lay 

 dead in his cottage, as no one had seen him for the last two 

 or three days. His door was therefore broken open, when he 

 was found in a state of extreme feebleness ; but the room was 



