THE ZooLocist—Aprit, 1872. 3001 
members of one species to a single individual of another. Not 
only the travellers cited below, but all travellers gifted with powers 
of observation, have been struck by this,—Waterton, Audubon, 
Wilson, and many others: it is not superior strength or size or 
weapon, for these could avail but little against numbers. 
“*T found,’ says Sir Richard Schomburghk, ‘ the striking fact confirmed, 
that the deepest respect was paid to the king of the vultures (Sarcorhamphus 
Papa) from the species Cathartes Aura and C. Jota; even if hundreds of 
these are assembled round a carcase, they immediately retire at his approach. 
Perched on the neighbouring trees, or, in lieu of these, sitting on the 
ground, they wait, greedy and envious, until their feudal lord has satisfied 
his hunger and has withdrawn from the repast. Scarcely has this taken 
place than they again rush with Savage eagerness on the carcase they had 
lately quitted, to satiate themselves with the remnants of the feast.’ 
Humboldt relates as an eye-witness : ‘I can state as fact that the appearance 
of a king vulture will put to flight a whole company of his more plebeian 
relatives: it is never a question of resistance.’ I proved to my satisfaction, 
after several observations, that the same condition of things exists-in Africa 
between the eared vulture (Otogyps auricularis) and the smaller Egyptian 
vulture (Neophron percnopterus), and often the same thing occurs among 
caged birds, when a quarrelsome individual may gratify his love of bullying 
to its full extent. Their greediness may be considered as the primary cause 
of this love of power; for greed may be often observed among birds as well 
as elsewhere.”—P. 103. 
We seem scarcely acquainted with the epithet parasitical as 
applied to any particular section of the bird world; we incline to 
consider the birds mentioned below pirates rather than parasites : 
they go to work openly and boldly, and display courage, agility and 
dexterity of the highest order: whether the term pirate prove more 
acceptable than parasite I will not venture to predict; it certainly 
seems more descriptive. Be this as it may, the following instances 
of this propensity are well selected and well told, 
“ Parasitical birds depend on the weakness or carelessness of other birds 
to take their prey. A kite (Milvus parasiticus), common in the East, 
pesters falcons, eagles, and such like, with such bold importunity, that 
these throw them a portion of their booty. The skuas persecute other gulls 
to such an extent that they are forced to disgorge the prey they have 
swallowed, which the former immediately pounce upon. Gannets and 
terns do the same. ‘These pirates readily distinguish those birds which 
