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 
