2 BIRDS OF PREY. 



breed, or some other cause, it is not easily assignable ; and the 

 fact is still more remarkable, as they have been observed in the 

 interior by Mr. Say as far as Pembino, in the 49th degree 

 of north latitude, by Lewis and Clarke near the Falls of the 

 Oregon, and they are not uncommon throughout that territory. 

 They are, however, much more abundant in the warmer than 

 in the colder regions, and are found beyond the equator, even 

 as far or farther than the La Plata. All the West India islands 

 are inhabited by them, as well as the tropical continent, where, 

 as in the Southern States of the Union, they are commonly 

 protected for their services as scavengers of carrion, which 

 would prove highly deleterious in those warm and humid cli- 

 mates. In the winter they generally seek out warmth and 

 shelter, hovering often like grim and boding spectres in the 

 suburbs, and on the roofs and chimneys of the houses, around 

 the cities of the Southern States. A few brave the winters of 

 Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, but the greater part 

 migrate south at the approach of cold weather. 



The Turkey Buzzard has not been known to breed north ot 

 New Jersey in any of the Atlantic States. Here they seek out 

 the swampy solitudes, and, without forming any nest, deposit 

 two eggs in the stump of a hollow tree or log, on the mere 

 fragments of rotten wood with which it is ordinarily strewed. 

 Occasionally, in the Southern States, they have been known to 

 make choice of the ruined chimney of a deserted house for 

 this purpose. The eggs are larger than those of a Turkey, of 

 a yellowish white, irregularly blotched with dark brown and 

 blackish spots, chiefly at the larger end. The male often at- 

 tends while the female is sitting; and if not materially dis- 

 turbed, they will continue to occupy the same place for several 

 years in succession. 



The young are covered with a whitish down, and, in common 

 with the habit of the old birds, will often eject, upon those who 

 happen to molest them, the filthy contents of their stomachs. 



In the cities of the South they appear to be somewhat grega- 

 rious, and as if aware of the protection afforded them, pre- 

 sent themselves often in the streets, and particularly near the 



