1 



of the ^^ Birds of AmericaJ^ 



21 



putrid flesh ? 3- Whether he is attracted to his food by 

 the eye or the scent ? 



I. Whether the vultures of this country are gregarious ? 



Tliat vuhures during the breeding season, and occa- 

 sionally at other times, fly singly, is ^vell known ; but 

 such is also the case with all our birds that usually keep in 

 flocks, witness the wild pigeon {Columha migratoria^ Lin.) 

 and the robin {Turdus inigratoria^ Lin.) and many of our 

 water birds. But that our vultures are in the liue sense of 

 the word gregarious, is a fact well established. In most 

 cases, in the interior of our State, as well as in the environs 

 of this city, considerable numbers are found in companyy 

 from three or four to forty or fifty. They hunt for their 

 prey in company ; they feed together on the same car- 



perform 



gyrations in great numbers to- 



gether, and they roost together* 



I have visited their roosting places, a sight well worth 

 travelling many miles to observe. In some deep swamp 



occasi 



Zi 



lax 



vines and thorny shmbs usually composed of 

 voluhilisy Elliott, and several species of t 

 and RuhuSj the buzzards resort for years together to 

 spend their nights. Here, on some dead tree, and fre- 

 quently on several tliat may be standing near each other, 

 they are crowded so close together, that one or two hundred 

 may be counted on a tree, and frequently thirty or forty 



gle branch. The ground and bushes within a 



am 



extent are covered with the excrements, which 

 by their acidity, have destroyed the whole undergrowth 



every 



grass 



the surface presents an appearance of having 



several thick coatings of whii 

 II. Whether our vultures 



nutrid food ? On this hftad 



unnecessary 



