Sa BLACK VULTURE. 



The Carrion Crows of Charleston resort at night to a swampy wood 

 across the Ashley river, about two miles from the city. I visited this roost- 

 ing place in company with my friend John Bachman, approaching it by 

 a close thicket of undergrowth, tangled with vines and briars. When 

 nearly under the trees on which the birds were roosted, we found the 

 ground destitute of vegetation, and covered with ordure and feathers, 

 ■ mixed with the broken branches of the trees. The stench was horrible. The 

 trees were completely cover^^with birds, from the trunk to the very tip& 

 of the branches. They were quite unconcerned ; but, having determined 

 to send them the contents of our guns, and firing at the same instant, we 

 saw most of them fly off, hissing, grunting, disgorging, and looking down 

 on their dead companions as if desirous of devouring them. We kept up 

 a brisk fusilade for several minutes, when they all flew off" to a great dis- 

 tance high in the air ; but as we retired, we observed them gradually de- 

 scending and settling on the same trees. The piece of ground was about 

 two acres in extent, and the number of Vultures we estimated at several 

 thousands. During very wet weather, they not unfrequently remain the 

 whole day on the roost ; but when it is fine, they reach the city every 

 morning by the first glimpse of day. 



The flight of this species, although laboured, is powerful and protract- 

 ed. Before rising from the ground, they are obliged to take several leaps, 

 which thev do in an awkward sidelong manner. Their flight is continued 

 by flappings, repeated eight or ten times, alternating with sailings of from 

 thirty to fifty yards. The wings are disposed at right angles to the body, 

 and the feet protrude beyond the tail, so as to be easily seen. In calm 

 weather, they may be heard passing over you at the height of forty or 

 fifty yards ; so great is the force with which they beat the air. When 

 about to alight, they allow their legs to dangle beneath, the better to en- 

 able them to alight. 



They feed on all sorts of flesh, fresh or putrid, whether of quadrupeds 

 or birds, as well as on fish. I saw a great number of them eating a dead 

 shark near the wharf at St Augustine in East Florida ; and I observed 

 them many times devouring young cormorants and herons in the nest, on 

 the keys bordering that peninsula. 



The Carrion Crow and Turkey Buzzard possess great power of recol- 

 lection, so as to recognise at a great distance a person who has shot at 

 them, and even the horse on which he rides. On several occasions I have 

 observed that they would fly off at my approach, after I had trapped 



