VULTURES. 



87 



cover the body itself. He descends then rapidly, and in circles ; his 

 descent is understood by other vultures who observe it, and who have, 

 doubtless, a thorough knowledge, and practised instinct, upon what- 

 ever relates to their food. In the neighbourhood of the carrion, there 

 is then formed a concourse of carnivorous birds which drop from the 

 clouds, and are certainly sufficient to attract vultures from every part 

 of the country, in the same way as several men, by running- in the 

 streets, would draw a crowd together. 



From the congregation of vultures towards a given spot, we may 

 sometimes infer the proximity of the lion, tyger, or hyaena ; for, when 

 one of these animals has killed a large quadruped, the vultures, who 

 have observed him, immediately arrive, and bring- after them a train of 

 others, which warns the traveller to be upon his guard. These timid 

 and dastardly birds, wanting- the courage to dispute a prey, evince on 

 this occasion all the baseness of their character; for not daring to 

 make use of their force, weapons, bulk of body, advantage of flight 

 and even of numbers, which make even cowards valiant, keep at a 

 respectful distance from the ferocious animal, wait until he has finished 

 his repast and retired, and then devour the abandoned fragments. 



The Hottentots and colonists of the Cape of Good Hope, well 

 informed by experience of the ability of vultures to discover the bodies 

 of animals, and also their voracity, never leave what they have killed, 

 without concealing it, generally beneath a heap of leaves and branches ; 

 sometimes they cover it over with a pocket-handkerchief, or waistcoat; 

 but, in spite of these precautions, it often happens they find nothing 

 more than a mere skeleton at their return ; for the crows, who are of 

 a bolder temper, first of all search out the animal, and the vultures, 

 then venturing to approach, in a short time entirely devour it. 



The Dutch colonists of those districts which the oricou inhabits, 

 give it the name of swarte-aas-vogel — the black carrion vulture. They 

 call it black, to distinguish it from another species of vulture of paler 

 colours, and which I shall describe in the following chapter, under the 

 name of Chasse-Jiente ; a name which it has at the Cape, where it is 

 also called by the inhabitants stront~jage7\ All vultures are generally 

 known at the Cape by such names as stront-vogel, stront-jager or aas- 

 vogel, 



I never observed the oricou in the environs of the Cape ; it is very 

 common in the inland districts, especially towards the country of the 

 Great Namaquais, where the other species is also found. 



