THE KITES AND VULTURES 
233 
not so highly developed as the hawks, the vult- 
ures serve a most useful purpose in the economy 
of Nature, and exhibit some traits that are really 
wonderful. The broad-minded student will not 
turn from these birds with aversion merely be- 
cause their heads are bare, and they feed on dead 
seen the Common Turkey Vulture 1 sailing 
and circling on wide-spread but motionless pin- 
ions, so high in the heavens that its distance 
from the earth seemed to be two miles or more. 
Clearly, these aerial promenades, often con- 
tinued until the observer is weary of watching 
Photographed by E. F. Keller, National Zoological Park. 
CALIFORNIA VULTURE. 
food. Their heads are naked for professional 
reasons. 
Two things about vultures are particularly 
striking. One is the enormous heights to which 
they soar, the other is their marvellous quick- 
ness in discovering the body of a dead animal. 
Many times, in clear summer weather, I have 
them, are taken for pleasure. One great circle 
succeeds another in a series that seems unend- 
ing, but all the while the wings are as motion- 
less as if wired in position. On such occasions, 
even a homely and unlovely Buzzard can become 
1 Ca-thar'tes au'ra. Average length, about 29 
inches. 
