CATliAUTID.E — THE AMERICAN VULTI:HKS. 34] 



try in soivreh of food. Often when liuiitin^' in tlie Ti'Jun V'liUcy, if iinsiiccivss- 

 fiil, tlioy wiiiild lie scvt-rul iioMis witlioiit seeing uno of tiiis specii's ; Imt (w 

 soon us tliuy succeeded in l>iiii;,'iii,L; down any liirj^o j,'iinie, tlieso l)irds 

 would be seen risin;,' iiliovo tlie horizon before the body liiul j,'rown cold, and 

 slowly sweepin"; towards tiiein, intent upon their share of the j,'aine. In the 

 al»senee of the hunter, unless well ]irotecteil, these marauders will be siu'e 

 todrai,' out from its coneealment the slain animal, even thou^^h carefully cov- 

 ered with Immches. I)r. ileermann states tlial lie has known them to draj,' 

 out and devour a deer witliin an hour. This Vulture possesses immense 

 muscular jMiwer. Dr. Ileermann has known four of them to dran the body 

 of tt youn;,' ^'rizzly liear, 

 that weij,'hed over a hun- 

 dreil pounds, tlu^ distance 

 of two hundred yards. 

 Dr. (.'ooper states that it 

 visits the Columbia Itiver 

 in autumn, wlien its 

 shores :\\v lineil wiiii j,'reat 

 luimbers of dead salmon, 

 on which, in company 

 witli other birds and va- 

 rious animals, it feasts for 

 a coupli! of months. He 

 considered it, lu)wever, 

 only a visitor at certain 

 seasons, and not a resi- 

 dent evcMi through the 

 ie tlid not .see 

 it, nor did he lu^ar of its jn-esence at l'u<iet Sound. 



It is stated by Douj^las that the.se Vidtures will in no instance attack any 

 livini,' animal unless it be ,so severely wounded as to be unable to walk. 

 Their senses of si^ht and smell are very acute, especially the former; and 

 when searching for jirey they soar to a very <,'reat heijiht, and if they 

 chance to discover a wounded animal they immediately follow iind attack it 

 whenever it sinks down. The finst comers are soon followed by others, and 

 it is not lonj;- before the carcpss is reduced to a skeleton. After thus feed- 

 ing, they remain for a wiiile .sluggish and reluctant to move. At these times 

 they perch on dead trees, with their heads drawn down, and their wings 

 drooping over their feet. Ivxcept after feeding, or when protecting their 

 nests, they are said to be very wary, and are with great didiculty shot by the 

 'lunter. Their flight is described as slow, steady, and graceful, and they 

 glide along with little or no perceptible motion of the wing.s, the tips of 

 which are curved upward in flying, in the manner of the Turkey-Buzzard. 

 They are said to appear most numerous and to soar the highest preceding 

 thunder-storms and tempests. 



