OOLOGIST'S EXCHANGE. 



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Address communications of all kinds, to 



T. VERNON WILSON, Austin, III. 



Entered in the Post Office at Austin 111, as second-class matter. 



In 2)ays of lore. 



The following- is an extract from Alex- 

 ander Wilson's diary under the date of 

 February 21, 1809 —"Went out to Hamp- 

 stead (South Carolina) this forenoon. 

 A horse dropped down in the street, in 

 convulsions; and dying, it was dragged out 

 to Harnpstead,and skinned. The ground, 

 for a hundred yards around it, was black 

 with carrion crows; many sat on the tops 

 of sheds, fences, and houses within sight, 

 sixty or eighty on the opposite side of a 

 small run. I counted at one time two hun- 

 dred and thirty- seven, but I believe there 

 were more, besides several in the air over 

 my head, and at a distance. I ventured 

 cautiously within thirty yards of the car- 

 cass, which three or four dogs, and twenty 

 or thirty vultures, were busy tearing and 

 devouring. Seeing them take no notice, 

 I ventured nearer, till I was within ten 

 yards, and sat down on the bank. Still 

 they paid little attention to me. The 

 dogs being sometimes accidentally napped 

 with the wings of the vultures, would 

 growl and snap at them, which would 

 occasion them to spring up for a moment, 

 but they immediately gathered in again. 

 The vultures frequently attacked each 

 other, fighting with their claws or heels, 

 striking like a cock, with open wings, and 

 fixing their claws in each other's heads. 

 The females, and I believe the males like- 

 wise made a hissing sound with open 

 mouth, exactly resembling that produced 

 by thrusting a red hot poker into water; 

 and frequently a snuffing like a dog clear- 

 ing his nostrils, as I suppose they were 

 theirs. On observing that they did not 

 heed me, I stole so close that my feet were 

 within one yard of the horse's legs and I 

 again sat down. They all slid aloof a few 

 feet; but seeing me quiet, they soon re- 

 turned as before. As they were often 

 disturbed by the dogs, I ordered the lat- 

 ter home: my voice gave no alarm to the 

 vultures. As soon as the dogs departed, 

 the vultures crowded in such numbers, 

 that I counted at one time thirty-seven on 

 and around the carcass, with several with- 



in; so that scarcely an inch of it was visible. 

 Sometimes one would come out with a 

 large piece of the entrails, which in a mo- 

 ment was surrounded by several others, 

 who tore it in fragments, and it soon dis- 

 appeared. They kept up the hissing 

 occasionally. Some of them having their 

 whole legs and heads covered with blood, 

 presented a most savage aspect. Still as 

 the dogs advanced, I would order them 

 away, which seemed to gratify the vul- 

 tures; and one would pursue another, to 

 within a foot or two of the spot where I 

 was sitting. Sometimes I observed them 

 stretching their necks along the ground, 

 as if to press the food downwards." 



A. lame Heron. 



A friend once kept a Heron on his 

 lawn, and a very amusing bird he was. 

 When first captured he was very sulky, 

 and refused all food. Fearing he would 

 starve, the owner forced some fish down 

 the bird's throat, but the next moment 

 saw it returned upon the grass. This 

 was repeated with the same result, and a 

 third time my friend endeavored ineffect- 

 ually to overcome the obstinacy of his 

 captive. At length, reflecting how the 

 Chinese treat their trained Cormorants, 

 by fastening a strap round the neck to 

 prevent the fish from going down, he tied 

 a piece of tape round the Heron's neck to 

 prevent the fish, in this case, from coming 

 up. The experiment was perfectly suc- 

 cessful, and the bird, finding it impossible 

 to disgorge, at length abandoned the at- 

 tempt, and subsequently fed himself. 

 Fish were placed for him in a fountain on 

 the lawn, and he evinced great delight in 

 taking them from the water. One day a 

 rat was observed helping himself to the 

 Heron's food. The rightful owner caught 

 him in the act, and with one blow of his 

 formidable bill felled him to the ground. 

 Seizing him, then, before he could recover 

 himself he carried, him squeaking to the 

 fountain and ducked him. After shaking 

 him well under water, he held him up for 

 examination. The rat spluttered and 

 squeaked in abject terror, and again was 

 he submerged. The dose was repeated, 

 until the unfortunate rat at length suc- 

 cumbed, and being by this time nice and 

 tender, the Heron pouched him, and his 

 then elongated form was seen distending 

 the thin skin of the bird's neck in its pas- 

 sage downwards, until it finally disap- 

 peared altogether. — Sketches of Bird Life 



— As many as sixteen young nearly 

 fledged, have been found in the nest of 

 the Long-tailed Tit. 



