84 OUR SOUTHERN BIRDS 



where in the animal kingdom, — even the eagle 

 does once in a while bethink himself of a neces- 

 sity for haste. 



Once on the ground, however, the Turkey 

 Vulture becomes the ridiculous "OP Mis' Buz- 

 zard'' of Uncle Remus, awkward and bald- 

 headed, an offense to sight and to another sense. 



Except during the nesting season, Vultures 

 usually resort to a common roost at night. The 

 cliffs along the brow of Southern mountains, 

 and the brakes of creeks, harbor a great many. 

 The large, brown-spotted eggs are laid on some 

 safe ledge in these bluffs, or in a cave, or, in a 

 region where great rocks are lacking, either in a 

 hollow log or tree, or even on the ground under 

 a log. The young are covered with grayish dow^n 

 and are helpless for a long time. 



Another Vulture quite as common in the 

 South is the Black Vulture or Carrion Crow, a 

 smaller bird, with shorter wings that are not all 

 black, but glisten silvery on the underside. The 

 heads of both birds are naked, but the Buzzard's 

 is red — "where Brer Eabbit shoveled hot coals 

 upon it," according to Uncle Remus — while that 

 of the Carrion Crow is black. Neither bird has 

 a voice, except for the utterance of a low grunt- 

 ing or hissing sound when disturbed. 



