THE SCAVENGERS 



portion to the things they feed upon : the 

 more carrion the more buzzards. The end 

 of the third successive dry year bred them 

 beyond belief. The first year quail mated 

 sparingly; the second year the wild oats 

 matured no seed ; the third, cattle died in 

 their tracks with their heads towards the 

 stopped watercourses. And that year the 

 scavengers were as black as the plague all 

 across the mesa and up the treeless, tumbled 

 hills. On clear days they betook them- 

 selves to the upper air, where they hung 

 motionless for hours. That year there 

 were vultures among them, distinguished 

 by the white patches under the wings. All 

 their offensiveness notwithstanding, they 

 have a stately flight. They must also have 

 what pass for good qualities among them- 

 selves, for they are social, not to say clan- 

 nish. 



48 



