THE TURKEY BUZZARD. 
35 
Second Experiment — The author says, " I had 
a large dead hog hauled some distance from ^he 
house, and put into a ravine, about twenty feet 
deeper than the surface of the earth around it, 
narrow and winding, much filled with briars and 
high cane. In this I made the negroes conceal the 
hog, by binding cane over it, until I thought it 
would puzzle either the buzzards, carrion crows, or 
any other birds to see it, and left it for two days. 
This was early in the month of July, when in this 
latitude it becomes putrid and extremely fetid in a 
short time. I saw, from time to time, many vul- 
tures in search of food sail over the field and ravine 
in all directions, but none discovered the carcass, 
although during this time several dogs had visited 
it, and fed plentifully on it. I tried to go near it, 
but the smell was so insufferable, when within 
thirty yards, that I abandoned it ; and the remains 
were entirely destroyed at last, through natural 
decay." 
Here the author positively and distinctly tells 
us, that he saw many vultures, in search of food, 
sail over the field and ravine, in all directions, but 
none discovered the carcass ; although, during this 
time, several dogs had visited it, and fed plentifully 
on it. 
Pray, when the dogs were at dinner on the 
carcass, and the vultures at the same time were 
flying over the ravine where the hog lay, what 
prevented these keen-eyed birds from seeing the 
j hog ? The author positively says, that none dis- 
i covered the carcass. Could, then, several dogs 
D 2 
