134 WAKE-EOBIN 



not nest anywhere in this vicinity, I thought they 

 might be males. I happened to he detained late in 

 the woods, watching the nest of a flying squirrel, 

 when the buzzards, just after sundown, began to 

 come by ones and twos and alight in the trees near 

 me. Presently they came in greater numbers, but 

 from the same direction, flapping low over the 

 woods, and taking up their position in the middle 

 branches. On alighting, each one would blow very 

 audibly through his nose, just as a cow does when 

 she lies down; this is the only sound I have ever 

 heard the buzzard make. They would then stretch 

 themselves, after the manner of turkeys, and walk 

 along the limbs. Sometimes a decayed branch 

 would break under the weight of two or three, 

 when, with a great flapping, they would take up 

 new positions. They continued to come till it was 

 quite dark, and all the trees about me were full. I 

 began to feel a little nervous, but kept my place. 

 After it was entirely dark and all was still, I gath- 

 ered a large pile of dry leaves and kindled it with a 

 match, to see what they would think of a fire. Not 

 a sound was heard till the pile of leaves was in full 

 blaze, when instantaneously every buzzard started. 

 I thought the treetops were coming down upon me, 

 so great was the uproar. But the woods were soon 

 cleared, and the loathsome pack disappeared in the 

 night. 



About the first of June I saw numbers of buz- 

 zards sailing around over the great Falls of the 

 Potomac. 



