42 WASTE-LAND WANDERINGS. 



mer, tliat so eai-lj in life tliej can discriminate between 

 the shadows of hawks and grakles, as is certainly true of 

 them. 



Among wild birds, an interesting instance of this is 

 that all birds at once recognize the fish-hawk. Chickens 

 do not, at first, but after a week or two appear also to 

 recognize the difference between this bird and the true 

 falcons. The fact that small birds of many species often 

 nest in the immediate vicinity of the fish-hawk's home- 

 tree clearly proves this fact. The vast quantities of in- 

 sects attracted by the remains of fish scattered about a 

 fish-hawk's nest make the spot attractive to fly-catchers 

 of many kinds, and there they are pretty sure to con- 

 gregate. 



When my boat was directly beneath the turkey-buz- 

 zards, as these true vultures are generally called — a po- 

 sition that is quite undesirable, let it be known — they 

 lazily flapped their enormous wings, and after something 

 of a struggle were fairly afloat upon the upper air. 

 They gave, I think, about twenty quick strokes of the 

 wings before they were as many feet above the tree- 

 toj^s. Then, one that I noticed particularly, with ap- 

 parently unmoved wings soared steadily upward at an 

 angle of forty-five degrees against the wind, which was 

 very gentle at the time. The others gradually arose to 

 a great height by circling, or rather by describing a 

 broad spiral course. 



The common impression prevailing in this neighbor- 

 hood is, that turkey-buzzards will eat, in fact are fond 

 of, decayed cabbages. It is true, apparently, that the 



