EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 



who perched upon it, as if he meant to difpute with me 

 for this feaft of carrion; which bird, having already picked 

 out one of the eyes, had fled at my firft approach, and 

 ftriking the fkull with his talons, as he took his fudden 

 flight, occafioned the motion already defcribed. I ihall 

 now only add, that this poor wretch, after living near fix 

 hours, had been knocked on the head by the com- 

 raiferating fentinel, the marks of whofe mufket were 

 perfectly vifible by a large open fra6lure in the fkull. 



Vultures are compared by fome to the eagle, though 

 thofe of Surinam poflefs very oppofite qualities. They 

 are indeed birds of prey, but inftead of feeding on what 

 they kill, like the other noble animal, their chief pur- 

 fuit is carrion ; wherefore they generally refort to burial- 

 grounds and places of execution, which they difcover by 

 their very acute fmell, fo much fo, that by the negroes 

 they are called tingee-fowloj or the {linking bird. The 

 Guiana vultures are the fize of a common turkey; they 

 are of a dark-grey colour, with black wings and tail ; the 

 bill is ftraight with a crooked point, and very ftrong ; the 

 tongue is cloven, the neck without feathers, and the legs 

 very fliort. Befides carrion, thefe birds will often deflroy 

 and eat ferpents, and indeed every thing that comes in 

 their way, until they are fo much gorged that they can 

 hardly fly. 



The bird called the king of the vultures is not very 

 common in Surinam, though fometimes the Indians bring 

 one or two to Paramaribo for fale, on account of its great 



Q q. 2 beauty. 



