PREFACE. 



V 



Wanderings of this well-known faculty in the 

 Vulture. A foreigner having imported into 

 this country a theory quite at variance with 

 what I had stated in my publication, I deemed 

 it necessary, for the reputation of the Wander- 

 ings^ to enter more minutely into the subject; 

 wherefore I sent up to Mr. Loudon's Magazine 

 of Natural History a paper on the habits of the 

 Vulture. This gave rise to much contention ; I 

 trying to upset the new theory, and my adver- 

 saries striving to keep it on its legs. In the 

 mean time, certain philosophers in the United 

 States signed their names to a paper, which 

 contained an account of experiments made upon 

 the living Vulture, in order to prove its defi- 

 ciency in the power of scent. One of these ex- 

 periments was so horribly cruel, that the mere 

 reading of it alone makes humanity shudder. 

 These western sages promised that they would 

 dissect the Vulture's nose ; but I cannot learn 

 that they have as yet commenced operations* 

 They are fearful, no doubt, that they would 

 discover in the beautifully developed parts of 

 that bird's organ of scent, proof quite sufficient 

 to show to them the inutility of their former 

 experiments. 



A 3 



