WILD LIFE ACROSS THE WORLD 



presence in his preserve. For nearly a quarter of an 

 hour he kept up, undisturbed, a grunting cough which 

 was very irritating. I kept within the blankets. The 

 native porters, however, were not so minded. They 

 started a counter-attack with drums, fires and wild 

 noises, and after an hour of this the camp became 

 quiet again. 



IV 



The scavengers of Africa are the vultures. They 

 are a necessary part of life there, and because of this 

 they are protected. Yet they are constantly falling 

 victims to poison put down by the settlers for lions. 



Round about the Equator we get twelve hours of 

 light and as many of darkness. With the rising of the 

 sun the vulture ascends into the heavens, diminishing 

 in size to such a tiny speck that it is difficult to locate 

 him, even with field-glasses. 



He has gone aloft to survey the kills of the night. 

 He has heard the Hon roar, and has detected other 

 sounds that tell him that the usual nightly tragedy 

 has taken place somewhere. But where ? 



He cannot smell it, but he can see. He has, 

 perhaps, the most wonderful sight of any creatures 

 in the world. 



The vulture gorges, and afterwards goes and finishes 

 his meal with a drink. Breakfast over, he stretches 

 himself on the ground, spreads out his wings, and 



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