THE FACULTY OF SCENT IN THE VULTURE. 247 



apparently dead. Life was barely within him, and that was all. 

 He was a total stranger to me, and I conjectured that he had 

 probably been seized with sickness as he was journeying on, and 

 that he had fallen down there to rise no more. He must have lain 

 in that forlorn, and I hope insensible state, for many hours ; because, 

 upon a nearer inspection, I saw swarms of red ants near him, and they 

 had eaten deeply into his flesh. I could see no marks that the 

 vultures had been upon him, Indeed, their not being here caused 

 me no surprise, as I had long been satisfied, from the innumerable 

 observations which I had made, that the vulture is attracted to its 

 food by the putrid exhalations which arise from it, when it has 

 arrived at that state of decomposition which renders it fit, and no 

 doubt delicious, food for this interesting tribe of birds. While I was 

 standing near the negro, I could see here and there a Vultur aura 

 sweeping majestically through the ethereal expanse, in alternate rises 

 and falls, as these birds are wont to do when in search of carrion : 

 but they showed no inclination to come and perch on the trees near 

 the prostrate body of this poor unknown sable son of Africa. The 

 terrible pestilence which visited Malaga at the beginning of the 

 present century swept off thousands upon thousands in the short 

 space of four months. The victims were buried by the convicts. 

 So great was the daily havoc of death, that no private burials could 

 be^ allowed ; and many a corpse lay exposed in the open air till the 

 dead carts made their rounds at nightfall to take them away to their 

 last resting-place, which was a large pit, prepared for them by the 

 convicts in the daytime. During this long-continued scene of woe 

 and sorrow, which I saw and felt, I could never learn that the 

 vultures preyed upon the dead bodies which had not had time 

 enough to putrefy. But when the wind blew in from the Mediter- 

 ranean, and washed ashore the corrupted bodies of those who had 

 died of the pestilence, and had been thrown overboard from the 

 shipping, then indeed, " de montibus adsunt Ifarpyicz" then it was 

 that the vultures came from the neighbouring hills to satisfy their 

 hunger; then, one might have said of these unfortunate victims of 

 the pestilence 



" Their limbs, unburied on the naked shore, 

 Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore." 



