20 Gbe Marbler 



ket feeding on every little scrap of meat thrown to him by the butchers — ■ 

 nay he occasionally steps into the market and takes a try at any meet he can 

 lay his bill on. Blizzards also eat Buzzards. Two years ago we were in 

 the habit of shooting these birds who were feeding on those of their own 

 species that had been skinned by the assistant of Mr. Audubon. At the 

 butcher pens the Buzzards eat the offals yet warm from the slaughtered an- 

 imals. 



19th (December.) To-day we added to the Hare of yesterday an Eng- 

 lish Pheasant that had just been killed by a dog. In a short time the Buz- 

 zards came (Cath. Aura) and ate greedily. Two were caught in the traps 

 (new ones had been procured.) They were confined in an outhouse for ex- 

 periments. The eye of one was perforated — the sight was destroyed. It 

 was not restored this evening, and the absurd story of the Buzzards being 

 able to restore a lost eye by placing the head under the wing was proved to 

 be all a farce. 



The Black Vultures appeared to be shy. They saw the traps and the 

 strings that confined them. They were easily alarmed, and most of them 

 after taking a good look flew away. Two of them were subsequently shot 

 from the same chimney by Mr. Audubon. During these experiments a 

 Winter Wren {Troglodytes Europeus) was seen gliding among the boards 

 and along ditches. It was the first one I ever met in this part of Carolina. 



20th December, 1833. This proved a cold and very disagreeable day. 

 Very few Buzzards were seen flying about. Those that we saw of the 

 Black Vulture seemed to fly straight to the butchers' pen for food and al- 

 most immediately to return to the woods across Ashley River. In the course 

 of the day another Buzzard (C Aura) was caught in the trap and placed 

 with the other two. The Black Vultures were very shy — alighting near 

 the trap but soon flying off as if alarmed. This morning saw a C. Aura 

 feeding on a Black Buzzard that had been shot. He was pulling off the 

 feathers and eating greedily on his meat; two of the Black V. alighted near 

 him, but he seemed hungry and drove them away. Vultures eat their dead 

 companions. 



Examined the one whose eye was perforated yesterday, it was not restor- 

 ed and the poor fellow must remain blind in the right eye to prove that Maj. 

 Pillaus either from ignorance or design imposed on the community. - 



The Buzzards when caught immediately disgorge all they have recently 

 eaten — woe betide the greenhorn that thoughtlessly hugs this darling in his 

 arms. 



From experiments made today I am of opinion that the Buzzard only 

 sees small objects — say the size of a fowl — at the distance of about 70 yards, 

 indeed he frequently passes them at a much less distance. One or two flew 

 past at the distance of 20 steps — although to the food yesterday were added 



