284 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



one of the largest and most majestic birds of flight in 

 the world, some individuals measuring eleven feet from 

 tip to tip of wings. Every effort should be made to 

 save the remnant still liv- 

 ing in remote portions of 

 the California mountains. 

 The other two species, the 

 turkey and black vultures 

 or "buzzards" as they are 

 sometimes called, are very 

 common in southern United 

 States and occur as far 

 north as New York and 

 New England. 



The turkey vulture is the 

 larger of the two and can 

 be distinguished by its red 

 head and longer wings and 

 tail. The black vulture, 

 having shorter wings, does 

 not soar so continuously 

 but flaps its wings more fre- 

 quently while flying. The 

 black vulture is more tropi- 



READY FOR BED-BLACK VULTURES ON THEIR ROOST 



Except during the nesting seasons, vultures resort to a common roost 



each ninht. sailing to it from all directions toward sunset, just as do our 



s shows a branch on such a roost above Panama in 



Northern crows, 

 the Canal Zone 



carcass is entirely concealed, the vultures do not dis- 

 cover it. 



The value of vultures as scavengers was never ques- 

 tioned until recent years 

 when it was supposed that 

 they might assist in the 

 spread of anthrax among 

 cattle, and in some states, 

 the laws that had always 

 given them protection were 

 repealed. Few persons, 

 however, bear the vultures 

 any grudge and they will 

 probably thrive even with- 

 out protection of the law. 

 In most places they seem 

 to recognize the good will 

 of mankind and are not in 

 the least timid. This is par- 

 ticularly true of the black- 

 vultures, which in the 

 streets and market places 

 of some southern cities 

 form a regular part of the 



cal and is seldom seen north of Virginia or Indiana. Both . street cleaning service. In parts of South America they 

 the turkey and black vultures have uniformly black plum- are likewise employed to clean the hides of cattle of all 

 age and naked heads and have the habit of soaring high on flesh and fat. The hides are stretched on large frames 



steady pinions, 

 often rising far 

 above the 

 clouds without 

 any apparent 

 motion of the 

 wings. Again 

 they will set 

 their flight in 

 one direction 

 and disappear 

 from sight. 

 One of the 

 most remarka- 

 ble phenomena 

 i n connection 

 with the vul- 

 tures is the ra- 

 p i d i t y with 

 which a flock 

 will assemble 

 about a dead 

 animal, for in 

 addition to scanning the ground, vultures keep watch on 

 each other and when one indicates, by a change in its 

 flight, that it has discovered something, all the others, that 

 have been watching it for miles around, flock to the spot. 

 Their vision is extraordinary, for the smallest dead 

 snake or mouse does not escape 'detection by birds sev- 

 eral hundred feet up in the air. It was at one time be- 

 lieved that their eyes were assisted by a very keen sense 

 of smell, but it has been shown that if a strong smelling 



and stood out 

 where the vul- 

 tures are wait- 

 ing and the 

 scraping which 

 is usually a 

 tedious process 

 is found en- 

 tirely unneces- 

 sary. 



Except dur- 

 ing the nesting 

 season, vul- 

 t u r e s usually 

 resort to a 

 common roost- 

 ing place to- 

 ward which 

 they can be 

 seen sailing af- 

 ter sunset. An- 

 other common 

 sight is to see 

 them in early morning or after showers perched on the 

 gables with spread wings drying their feathers. 



Vultures lay their spotted eggs either on the ground 

 under a log or in a hollow log or cave, or sometimes high 

 up in a hollow tree. The young are covered with whitish 

 down and are helpless for a long time. In fact, the South 

 American Condor, which is the largest of the family, is 

 said to feed its young on the nesting ledge for nearly a 

 year before they are able to soar like their parents. 



Photograph by }. T. Lloyd 



CONSERVATION OF LABOR-A NOVEL WAY OF CLEANING HIDES PRACTICED IN COLOMBIA 



The hides arc stretched, without cleaning, on large frames and the vultures do the rest, removing all flesh 

 and fat until the hides are as clean as though hours of hard labor had been spent upon them. 



