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THE TOWERS OF SILENCE. 



one of which is more than 250 years old. Of recent 

 years the late Sir Jamshidji Jijibhai, a well-known 

 Parsee philanthropist, has constructed most beautiful 

 gardens, at enormous expense, in the neighbourhood 

 of these towers, where mourners attending the last 

 ceremonies over the remains of relatives can sit in 

 contemplation of the most lovely flowers and scenery. 

 No one is ever allowed to enter the towers but pro- 

 fessional bearers, two or three of whom convey the 

 bodies in through a small door some distance above 

 the ground, the only aperture into them that is left 

 in the exterior circle of wall. At the time of our 

 visit the attendant pointed out the door, through which 

 we were assured the wealthy and public-spirited founder 

 of these gardens (together with other charitable insti- 

 tutions at Bombay) was himself thus carried in, when 

 his race on earth was run. 



Before passing to the consideration of other matters 

 we may remark that of course upon the closing in of 

 the night both vultures, as well as all other kinds of 

 birds of prey that hunt by sight (except some nocturnal 

 species that hunt at night only) descend to the earth and 

 take their nightly rest, perched upon trees, in readiness 

 to renew their pursuits with returning day, and we believe 

 they generally assemble for roosting purposes much in 

 the same way as is done by rooks. Indeed we have 

 ourselves seen extensive roosts of these birds, which 

 had already settled for the night. Such spectacles are 

 common in the neighbourhood of towns and other 

 places in whose vicinity offal is sometimes to be picked 

 up in considerable quantities, in which situations we 

 need hardly remind our readers, that scavenger birds 

 are invariably protected by law in all Oriental lands. 



