230 
SCENES IN INDIA. 
a morsel of the carcass remains. When they scent a 
piece of carrion they immediately congregate in large 
bodies, make several gyrations in the air over the 
spot, and then descend upon their prey. They may 
frequently be seen soaring on the watch at an immense 
height in the air, and a dead body never escapes either 
the quickness of their sight or the keenness of their 
scent. These birds are so voracious, that they have 
frequently been known to attack distempered cattle 
and destroy them. If a buffalo happens to have a 
sore, they will perch upon its back and begin to 
feed upon it, and, notwithstanding its strength and 
fierceness, they will continue the assault, one perch- 
ing on the animal’s head and flapping its wings over 
its eyes, while others fix upon the diseased part, until, 
worn out with fatigue and suffering, it becomes at 
length an easy prey to these indefatigable destroyers. 
The vulture is generally about the size of a large turkey, 
though some have been known to weigh upwards of 
thirty pounds. It is very serviceable in hot climates 
in removing putrid substances, which would else ex- 
pose the country to the continual visitation of pesti- 
lence: in fact, but for these disgusting birds, every 
region within the tropics would soon be depopulated ; 
- — they annually save thousands of human lives. 
