32 TURKEY-BUZZARD. 



4 



often change the colour of their coat, the better to 

 adapt themselves to changes of temperature, or to 

 new ranges of country and rivers they may be re- 

 moved to ; but I am still unaware of either of these 

 influences causing a change in their features, or in 

 the general outline of their shape. 



This day I continued my slow and tedious route 

 over a very rugged country, but the diminution 

 in elevation of the mountain ridges to the east, as 

 well as their less bold and jagged outlines, induced 

 me to hope that I was at length approaching the 

 upper table-lands of North America, situated between 

 the Prairies and the Rocky Mountains. In many of 

 the ravines, and on one or two flat-surfaced, elevated 

 slabs of rock, that are frequent in this neighbour- 

 hood, I observed the droppings of both big-horns and 

 Rocky-mountain sheep. These animals occupy the 

 same position in reference to this continent that 

 the ibex and chamois do to Europe. They are both 

 extremely wary, and during day select the elevated 

 plateaux and ridges, but at night descend in search 

 of their food to places where vegetation is less scant 

 and more diversified. 



The first turkey-buzzard (Vultur aura) observed 

 for months I saw to-day, perched upon what I should 

 suppose to be the remains of a lynx, but as the bones 

 of the limbs and cranium were wanting, I was unable 

 to decide with certainty on its identity. Though this 

 bird, from its filthy habits, rank, putrid smell, and 

 dirty, unkempt plumage, has ever been the reverse 



