42 THE TURKEY BUZZARD. 
pletely decomposed, before these birds could perforate 
the tough skin of the monster, that, when at last it 
took place,” (what took place ?) “ their disappoint- 
ment was apparent, and the matter, in an almost 
fluid state, abandoned by the vultures.” 
Here we have the singular phenomenon of vul- 
tures surrounding their own dinner, without being 
able to touch it, for want, I may say, of suitable 
carving knives; and at last they are forced to depart 
on an empty stomach, bearing marks on their coun- 
tenances of apparent disappointment. I ask, what 
became of the enormous mass of flesh in the 
alligator’s tail? was ¢, too, in an almost fluid state, 
similar to that of the contents of the abdomen? 
Had, then, the first stage of putrefaction done 
nothing towards the softening of the skin, which, in 
the tail of this animal, is by no means so thick as in 
the dorsal and abdominal regions? Were his 
vultures so green in the art of perforation as not 
to have learned that, as soon as putrefaction takes 
place, the skin of the tail may be easily perforated 
at the different joints? If the vultures, only for a 
minute, had but bethought themselves of applying 
their “very powerful bills” to the skin at these 
joints, it would undoubtedly have yielded to their 
efforts; and then they could easily have worked 
their way forward to the other parts of the alligator. 
Had but our little carrion crow been there, he could 
soon have taught them how to carve, and shown the 
lubberly birds where lay the soft parts. Again, I ask, 
were the vultures, whose daily occupation ought to 
give them a pretty correct notion of the general 
= »— - ge i pe et 
