34 BLACK VULTURE, 



sight, and vice versa. When I visited the Southern States, and had 

 lived, as it were, amongst these Vultures for several years, and discovered 

 thousands of times that they did not smell me when I approached them, 

 covered by a tree, until within a few. feet ; and that when so near, or at a 

 greater distance, I shewed myself to them, they instantly flew away much 

 frightened; the idea evaporated, and I assiduously engaged in a series 

 of experiments, to prove to myself, at least, how far this acuteness of 

 smell existed, or if it existed at all. 



I sit down to communicate to you the results of those experiments, 

 and leave for you to conclude how far and how long the world has been 

 imposed on by the mere assertions of men who had never seen more than 

 the skins of our Vultures, or heard the accounts from men caring little 

 about observing nature closely. 



My First Experiment was as follows : — I procured a skin of our com- 

 mon deer, entire to the hoofs, and stuffed it carefully with dried grass until 

 filled rather above the natural size,— suffered the whole to become per- 

 fectly dry, and as hard as leather, — took it to the middle of a large open 

 field, — laid it down on its back with the legs up and apart, as if the 

 animal was dead and putrid. I then retired about a hundred yards, 

 and in the lapse of some minutes, a Vulture, coursing round the field to- 

 lerably high, espied the skin, sailed directly towards it, and ahghted 

 within a few yards of it. I ran immediately, covered by a large tree, 

 until within about forty yards, and from that place could spy the bird 

 with ease. He approached the skin, looked at it with apparent suspicion, 

 jumped on it, raised his tail, and voided freely (as you well know all 

 birds of prey in a wild state generally do before feeding), — then approach- 

 ing the eyes, that were here soUd globes of hard, dried, and painted clay, 

 attacked first one and then the other, with, however, no farther advantage 

 than that of disarranging them. This part was abandoned ; the bird 

 walked to the other extremity of the pretended animal, and there, with 

 much exertion, tore the stitches apart, until much fodder and hay was 

 pulled out ; but no flesh could the bird find or smell ; he was intent on 

 discovering some where none existed, and, after reiterated efforts, all use- 

 less, he took flight and coursed about the field, when, suddenly wheeling 

 round and ahghting, I saw him kill a small garter snake, and swallow it 

 in an instant. The Vulture rose again, sailed about, and passed several 

 times quite low over the stuffed deer-skin, as if loth to abandon so good 

 looking a prey. 



