198 BIRDS 



but, amidst the quarrels and cruelties of other birds, the tur- 

 key buzzard sails serenely on its way, molested by none, 

 since it attacks none, and makes no enemies, feeding as it 

 does, for the most part, on carrion that none grudge it. The 

 youngest chickens in the barnyard show no alarm when a 

 turkey buzzard alights in their midst. They know that no 

 more harmless creature exists . It is the most common bird 

 in the South, being protected there by law in consideration 

 of its services as scavenger, whereas many tuneful song birds 

 that destroy innumerable insect pests for the farmer are , 

 wantonly killed. Every field has its buzzards soaring 

 overhead and casting their shadows, like clouds, on the 

 grain below. Depending on their services, the farmers 

 allow the dead horse, or pig, or chicken to lie where it 

 drops, for the vultures to peck at until the bones are as 

 clean as if purified by an antiseptic. Fresh meat has no 

 attractions for them; their preference is for flesh sufficiently 

 foetid to aid their sight in searching for food, and on such 

 they will gorge until often imable to rise from the ground. 

 When disturbed in the act of overhauling a rubbish heap ia 

 the environs of the city, for the bits of garbage that no goat 

 would touch, they express displeasure at a greedy rival by 

 blowing through the nose, making a low, hissing sound or 

 grunt, the only noise they ever utter, and by Uf ting their 

 wings in a threatening attitude. With both beak and 

 claws capable of inflicting painful injury, the buzzard re- 

 sorts to the loathsome trick of disgorging the foul contents 

 of its stomach on an intruder. This automatic perfor- 

 mance is practised even by the youngest fledglings when 

 disturbed in the nest. It certainly is a most effective pro- 

 tection. 

 The turkey buzzard shows a decided preference for warm 



