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accuracy of this opinion, on recollecting the 

 observations of some travellers, who have 

 remarked birds of prey directing their course 

 towards dead animals floating in the rivers 

 in India, where the wind blows steadily from 

 one point in the compass for many months 

 in succession. It is not easy to conceive that 

 the effluvia from a dead carcase in the water 

 should proceed in direct opposition to the 

 current of air, and affect the olfactory nerves 

 of birds at so many miles distant." In order 

 to satisfy himself on this point, Audubon 

 made several experiments, one of which was 

 as follows. Having stuffed and dried the 

 skin of a deer, he retired from it : a Vulture 

 soon approached, attacked its eyes, which 

 were made of painted clay, then walked to 

 the other extremity, tore some of the stitches, 

 until much of the fodder and hay with which 

 it was stuffed was pulled out, and after reite- 

 rated attempts to discover flesh, took flight. 

 Afterwards, he had a large dead hog put 

 into a ravine and concealed in the briars ; 

 he saw many Vultures pass over it, but some 

 approached it, although several dogs had 

 made a meal on it. He then tried to approach 

 it himself, but found the stench too intoler- 

 able. This species has great power of wing, 

 and specimens have sometimes been killed 

 in the British isles. 



The BLACK VULTURE or GALLINAGO. 

 (Cathartes atratus.) In our article Turkey 

 Buzzard we have described a species closely 

 allied to this in appearance and habits. We 

 introduce this species as a well-marked form 

 of the family Vulturidae. It is a native of I 

 the United States, and is found in South | 

 America, as Darwin informs us, as far south j 

 as Lat. 41. It prefers a humid climate, or 



rather the neighbourhood of fresh water, and 

 in Peru is protected as a scavenger. These 

 Vultures may be called gregarious, and, as 

 Darwin oberves t are not solely brought to- 

 gether by the attraction of a common prey, 

 but seem to have pleasure in society. He has 

 observed a flock of them on a fine day at a 

 great height, each bird wheeling round and 

 round without closing its wings, in the most 

 graceful evolutions. It is clearly done for 

 sport-sake, or may be connected with their 

 matrimonial alliances. 



For King Vulture, see SARCORAJIPIIUS. 



For Bearded Vulture, see GYPAETUS. 



For Turkey Vulture and7o/m Crow Vulture, 

 see TURKEY BUZZARD. 



WAGTAIL. The species of Wagtails, 

 which are few, are chiefly confined to the 

 European continent, where the individuals 

 are numerous. Bewick remarks that "in 

 almost all languages the name of this bird 

 is descriptive of its peculiar habits. In Latin, 

 Motacilla ; in French, Moteux, La Lavan- 

 difere, or Washer ; in England they are some- 

 times called Washers, from their peculiar 

 motion ; in German their name signifies 

 Brook-stilts ; and in Italian, Shake-tail," 

 &c. They are easily distinguished by their 

 brisk and lively motions, as well as by the 

 great length of their tails, which they jerk 

 up and down incessantly, from which cir- 

 cumstance they derive their name. They 

 do not hop, but run along the ground very 

 nimbly after flies and other insects, on which 

 they feed : they likewise feed on small worms, 

 in search of which they frequently flutter 

 round the ploughman, and follow the flocks 

 in search of the flies which generally sur- 

 round them. Their flight is weak and un- 

 dulating, during which they make a twitter- 

 ing noise ; and they seldom perch. As the 

 species do not differ in their habits, and are 

 not very dissimilar in appearance, it will be 

 sufficient that we describe the one most com- 

 mon with us, viz. 



The PIED WAGTAIL, or BLACK and 

 WHITE WATER WAGTAIL. {.Motacilla 

 alba.) Its length is about seven inches: 

 the bill is black ; eyes hazel ; hinder part 

 of the head and neck black ; forehead, 

 cheeks, and sides of the neck white ; the 

 fore part of the neck and part of the breast 

 are black, bordered by a whitish line, form- 



ing a gorget ; the back and rump are dark 

 ash ; wing-coverts and secondary quills 

 dusky, edged with light gray ; prime quills 

 black, with pale edges ; lower part of the 

 breast and belly white ; the middle feathers 

 of the tail are black, the outermost white, 

 except at the base and tips of the inner webs, 

 which are black : legs black. These birds 

 are to be seen wherever there are shallow 

 springs and running waters. They make 

 their nest on the ground, of dry grass, moss, 

 and small roots, lined with hair and feathers ; 

 the female lays five white eggs, spotted with 

 brown ; and both parents continue to feed 



