The Birds and Poets 277 



with a very few exceptions deserve protection. 

 Even as to the injurious accipiters, the bird lover 

 finds it difficult to withhold a sneaking admiration 

 for the race, for cannibals and murderers though 

 they be, their lives are typical of the freedom of 

 the fields, and the wildness of the woodlands. 



Upon the occasion of one of my youthful hawk 

 trips, to which I have referred, I observed a turkey 

 vulture perched upon the top of a broken and 

 decayed trunk of a very large tree, which had been 

 broken off squarely some twenty feet from the 

 ground. I had noticed two buzzards in the neigh- 

 borhood several times, and though I never had 

 before seen or heard of their nesting farther north 

 than the latitude of Central Indiana or Illinois, I 

 suspected there might be a nest in the cavity at the 

 top of the tall trunk, if there were such a cavity, of 

 which I was yet uncertain. I planned to visit the 

 spot again soon for the purpose of definitely ascer- 

 taining if there were a nest in the old tree, or else- 

 where in the vicinity. Within a few days I 

 returned, properly equipped with climbers, har- 

 ness and hand axe, and quietly approached the old 

 tree, but no buzzard was in sight. I pounded nois- 

 ily on the trunk with my axe, and to my great joy 

 the female turkey vulture flew out of the cavity at 

 the top. It was a straight stem, easily climbed, 

 and, greatly excited, I immediately began the 

 ascent. I soon reached the top where I found that 

 the trunk of the old tree at that point was a mere 

 shell, the cavity being over two feet in diameter. I 



