40 THE TURKEY BUZZARD. 
highest branches of trees till their dinner be suffi- 
ciently digested. The author tells us that the first 
“are easily seen by other vultures, who, through 
habit, know the meaning of such stoppages.” I wish 
theauthor had told us how he became informed of this 
knowledge, which the “ other vultures” had acquired 
of these stoppages. Let us suppose for an instant 
that the latter comers, after travelling “ hundreds of 
miles,” had unluckily mistaken the group of vultures 
perched on high trees; and, in lieu of arriving at 
the tree under which dinner was waiting for them, 
they had got to the tree under which all the dinner 
had been eaten up. Pray, what were the hungry 
scavengers todo? Were they to proceed, “ hun- 
dreds of miles” farther, upon an empty stomach, in 
quest of more stoppages? or were they to wait in 
patience, with the vultures perched on high dead 
limbs of trees, till those stomach-filled birds should 
have digested their food, and were ready to start 
afresh? The author assures us that “vultures 
perched on high dead limbs, in such conspicuous 
positions, are easily seen by other vultures, who 
through habit know the meaning of such stoppages :” 
but then we have only his bare word for this extra- 
ordinary circumstance; and, notwithstanding what 
he has said, my opinion is, that the coming-up 
vultures would just as often have the bad luck to 
find themselves arrived at the tree under which the 
dinner had been all eaten up, asthe good luck to get 
to the tree under which dinner was to be found too 
tough to be eaten immediately. 
Towards the end of the account, our author tells 
