﻿The Habits of the Black Vulture in Nicaragua 167 



spread, were rapidly ducking their heads to her like well-trained servants. 

 She paid little attention, and soon turned her back on them. They persisted 

 in their attentions till she finally got disgusted and flew away, with her suitors 

 in close pursuit. 



The Vulture doesn't seem to learn by experience. Over and over again 

 they went through, what was to me, a most ludicrous farce. A number of 

 pigs lived on the plantation, picking up th k living along with the Vultures, 

 with whom they seemed quite friendly. The largest of these was of fancy 

 breed, imported from the States, where he had been christened "Mark 

 Hanna." Mark had seen his best days and was now so old and fat that the 

 effort of waddling from one place to another made him breathe pretty hard. 

 He liked to spend as much time as possible sleeping in the midst of a puddle. 

 While he was thus sleeping, some hungry, keen-eyed Vulture, circling in 

 mid-air, was sure to see him. Immediately he would swoop to earth, and, 

 almost before he had landed, a dozen others would have caught the idea 

 and comedown, too. There they would stand in a circle about the sleeping 

 pig and watch him. He didn't move. Surely he was dead, and it was their 

 plain duty to eat him. Finally the boldest of the Vultures would draw nearer, 

 step up on his back and cautiously pull a bristle. As nothing happened at 

 this, the rest would be encouraged and three or four would begin pulling 

 at once. This would be too much for Mark, who would voice his dis- 

 pleasure with an angry grunt. The startled Vultures would retire to wonder 

 what had happened, while Mark went peacefully off to sleep again. Seeing 

 this, the Vultures would draw near again, apparently holding a consultation, 

 like doctors, deciding how long they would give him to die. When the 

 time was up they would try again, and so on until poor Mark had to make 

 the terrible effort of getting up and waddling to another puddle in order to 

 sleep in peace. This greatly disconcerted the poor, hungry Vultures, and 

 I fear I sympathized with them rather than with Mark. 



