346 BLACK VULTURE OR CARRION CROW. 



informing us that " the Turkey Buzzard, though seemingly inactive, 

 hops along with an even gait. The latter, unless pressed by hunger, 

 will not eat of a carcass until it becomes putrid ; the former is not so 

 fastidious, but devours animal food without distinction." " The Black 

 Vulture builds its nest in the large trees of low wet swamps, to which 

 places they retire every evening to rest." 



The gentleman whose sayings are thus quoted in the valuable work 

 above mentioned, could not have visited any of our southern cities at 

 the time when he penned these notes, or he might have seen that the 

 habits of the Carrion Crow differ in more respects than one from what 

 he has represented them to be. In the first place, the Black Vulture 

 does associate with the Turkey Buzzard, and the latter is not at all 

 disdainful of the society of the former. Indeed, it would be difficult, 

 in Charleston, Savannah, Natchez, or their suburbs, to find the one 

 without the other. They are both careless of the approach of man, 

 and no positive laws or regulations for the protection of either, exist 

 in any of the United States. If I understand aright the meaning of 

 the word " hopping," which I take to signify progression by short 

 leaps, the Turkey Buzzard does not hop when not disturbed : it walhs 

 with measured steps. As to its not feeding on matters that are not 

 putrid, such a tale might have answered a century ago, but will not do 

 now-a-days. I will give " a handsome reward" to any one who shall point 

 out to me a Carrion Crow's nest in a tree, or upon its branches. To 

 end all this, I assure you that although the greater number of the 

 Carrion Crows resort to trees toward night, in order to repose upon 

 them, many remain on the roofs and chimney-tops. 



I found this species abundant in the Texas, where it bred, as usual, 

 on the ground, but in situations such as I had not before seen ; for the 

 nests which I examined were under very small bushes in marshes ad- 

 joining salt-water lagoons, or amidst cactuses, and along with that of 

 several species of Heron, the young of these latter forming a consi- 

 derable portion of the food of the young Vultures. They were in 

 fact placed in the same situation as those of the Turkey Buzzard, and 

 frequently at no great distance from them. The Carrion Crow is 

 found abundantly in Chili also, from whence I have seen specimens 

 precisely similar to our own. As it was named Iota by Molina, who, 

 although not always correct in his statements, has been found to be 

 right in this, that name must be retained in preference to atratus. Dr 



