THE TURKEY BUZZARD. 35 



Second Experiment. The author says, " I had 

 a large dead hog hauled some distance from the 

 house, and put into a ravine, about twenty feet 

 deeper than the surface of the earth around it, 

 narrow and winding, much filled with briars and 

 high cane. In this I made the negroes conceal the 

 hog, by binding cane over it, until I thought it 

 would puzzle either the buzzards, carrion crows, or 

 any other birds to see it, and left it for two days. 

 This was early in the month of July, when in this 

 latitude it becomes putrid and extremely fetid in a 

 short time. I saw, from time to time, many vul- 

 tures in search of food sail over the field and ravine 

 in all directions, but none discovered the carcass, 

 although during this time several dogs had visited 

 it, and fed plentifully on it. I tried to go near it, 

 but the smell was so insufferable, when within 

 thirty yards, that I abandoned it ; and the remains 

 were entirely destroyed at last, through natural 

 decay." 



Here the author positively and distinctly tells 

 us, that he saw many vultures, in search of food, 

 sail over the field and ravine, in all directions, but 

 none discovered the carcass ; although, during this 

 time, several dogs had visited it, and fed plentifully 

 on it. 



Pray, when the dogs were at dinner on the 

 carcass, and the vultures at the same time were 

 flying over the ravine where the hog lay, what 

 prevented these keen-eyed birds from seeing the 

 hog ? The author positively says, that none dis- 

 covered the carcass. Could, then, several dogs 

 D 2 



