18 
BLACK VULTURE, OR CARRION CROW. 
ing themselves. Hundreds of them are usually found, at all hours of the 
day, about the slaughterhouses, which are their favourite resort. They 
alight on the roofs and chimney-tops, wherever these are not guarded by 
spikes or pieces of glass, which, however, they frequently are, for the pur- 
pose of preventing the contamination by their ordure of the rain water, which 
the inhabitants of the southern States collect in tanks, or cisterns, for domes- 
tic use. They follow the carts loaded with offal or dead animals to the 
places in the suburbs where these are deposited, and wait the skinning of a 
cow or horse, when in a few hours they devour its flesh, in the company of 
the dogs, which are also accustomed to frequent such places. On these 
occasions they fight with each other, leap about and tug in all the hurry and 
confusion imaginable, uttering a harsh sort of hiss or grunt, which may be 
heard at a distance of several hundred yards. Should eagles make their 
appearance at such a juncture, the Carrion Crows retire, and patiently wait 
until their betters are satisfied, but they pay little regard to the dogs. When 
satiated, they rise together, should the weather be fair, mount high in the 
air, and perform various evolutions, flying in large circles, alternately 
plunging and rising, until they at length move off in a straight direction, or 
alight on the dead branches of trees, where they spread out their wings and 
tail to the sun or the breeze. In cold and wet weather they assemble round 
the chimney-tops, to receive the warmth imparted by the smoke. I never 
heard of their disgorging their food on such occasions, that being never done 
unless when they are feeding their young, or when suddenly alarmed or 
caught. In that case, they throw up the contents of their stomach with 
wonderful quickness and power. 
The Carrion Crows of Charleston resort at night to a swampy wood across 
the Ashley river, about two miles from the city. I visited this roosting 
place in company with my friend John Bachman, approaching it by a close 
thicket of undergrowth, tangled with vines and briars. When nearly under 
the trees on which the birds were roosted, we found the ground destitute of 
vegetation, and covered -with ordure and feathers, mixed with the broken 
branches of the trees. The stench was horrible. The trees were completely 
covered with birds, from the trunk to the very tips of the branches. They 
were quite unconcerned ; but, having determined to send them the contents 
of our guns, and firing at the same instant, we saw most of them fly off, 
hissing, grunting, disgorging, and looking down on their dead companions 
as if desirous of devouring them. We kept up a brisk fusilade for several 
minutes, when they all flew off to a great distance high in the air ; but as we 
retired, we observed them gradually descending and settling on the same 
trees. The piece of ground was about two acres in extent, and the number 
of Vultures we estimated at several thousands. During very wet weather. 
