BIRDS OF PREY 39 



by their sense of smell. I have again and again noticed 

 that francolins and knorhaan will feed quite close up to 

 leeward of a man so long as he remains quite still ; and 

 in stalking guinea-fowl it is quite unnecessary to bother 

 about the direction of the wind, provided they neither 

 hear nor see you. Though the gathering of vultures 

 is nearly always the sure indication of a dead animal, 

 the number assembling is no guide to the size of the 

 carcass. I have seen at least fifty follow a leader down 

 to a half-consumed hare or snake, while there is no doubt 

 that even their acute vision is sometimes deceived, as 

 was evident fom a number of them being attracted 

 by a red blanket lying on the ground near one of my 

 camps. 



Should the carnivore responsible for the act be lying 

 up by and guarding his kill, the vultures will be noticed 

 sitting thickly on the trees around, gazing fixedly in the 

 direction of the carcass ; but they generally flap away 

 on the approach of a human being, thus giving the alarm. 

 When engaged at a carcass, they fight amongst them- 

 selves and make a good deal of noise. It is astonishing 

 with what rapidity they can consume even quite a large 

 beast, and of a creature of the size of a dog nothing is left 

 in a few minutes except the bigger bones, the lesser ones 

 being swallowed whole. They will eat any carrion, 

 except the remains of one of their own species, and 

 though they must often have to spend long periods 

 fasting, they make up for their enforced abstinence 

 by the voracity of their appetites when the opportunity 

 arrives to satisfy them. 



Vultures seem to hang permanently about the vicinity 

 of some of the large villages of central Africa, roosting 

 on the trees close by at night and spending the day 

 hopping and waddling about among the garbage heaps, 



