1812. 
MAGNETIC VARIATION. — UTILITY OF VULTURES. 
325 
mornings, just before sunrise, the grass is observed to be covered with 
hoar-frost : but as there is rarelj either vapor, or cloud, to diminish the 
heat of the sun, this appearance quickly vanishes. 
By taking equal altitudes of the sun before, and after, noon, 
with its correspondent bearings by the needle, I found the magiietic 
variation to be 27° i W. My instrument for ascertaining these bear- 
ings, was not, indeed, constructed for the smaller subdivisions ; but 
this defect was remedied by adopting a more careful process, and 
therefore the result may perhaps be depended on, to within an eighth 
of a degree, which maybe considered accurate enough for a traveller's 
purpose. 
One of the dogs which had unfortunately been run over by the 
waggon, a few days before, was so much injured that it died at this 
place. The body was taken to a short distance from our station, but 
the crows and vultures soon discovered it, and, assembling around, 
immediately began to tear it to pieces. These birds, so little disturbed 
by the presence of man, seem to consider all dead bodies as their 
perquisites ; and the natives view them without feeling the least 
desire to molest them. 
And here we cannot but again see and admire that wisdom, and 
perfection of plan, which exist in every part of the creation. Vultures 
have been ordained evidently to perform very necessary and useful 
duties on the globe ; as, indeed, has every other animated being, how- 
ever purblind we may be in our views of their utility ; and we might 
almost venture to declare that these duties are the final cause of their 
existence. To those who have had an opportunity of examining 
these birds, it need not be remarked how perfectly the formation of a 
vulture is adapted to that share in the daily business of the globe, 
which has evidently been allotted to it ; that of clearing away putrid 
or putrescent animal matter, which might otherwise taint the air and 
produce infectious diseases. Many of the vultures are among the 
largest of the feathered tribe, and all, even the smaller species, have 
great bodily strength in proportion to their size. Their legs are 
strong, but as they are not, like the eagles and owls, intended for 
seizing and preying on live animals, they have not been furnished with 
