SCENTING CARRION AT GREAT DISTANCES. 249 
ravine, discovered by the blood of tbe pig*, and de- 
voured it, when yet quite fresh, within my sight. 
“ Not contented with these experiments, which I 
already thought fully conclusive, having found two 
young vultures, about the size of pullets, covered yet 
with down, and looking more like quadrupeds than birds, 
I had them brought home and put into a large coop in 
the yard, in the view of every body, and attended to 
their feeding myself. I gave them a great number of 
red-headed woodpeckers and parokeets, birds then easy 
to procure, as they were feeding daily on the mulberry 
trees in the immediate neighbourhood of my orphans. 
“ These the young vultures could tear to pieces by 
putting both feet on the body, and applying the bill 
with great force. So accustomed to my going towards 
them were they in a few days, that when I approached 
the cage with hands filled with game for them, they 
immediately began hissing and gesticulating very much 
like young pigeons, and putting their bills to each 
other, as if expecting to be fed mutually, as their parent 
had done. Two weeks elapsed; black feathers made 
their appearance, and the down diminished. I remarked 
an extraordinary increase of their legs and bill ; and 
thinking them fit for trial, I closed three sides of the 
cage with planks, leaving the front only with bars for 
them to see through ; had the cage cleaned, washed, 
and sanded, to remove any filth attached to it from the 
putrid flesh that had been in it ; and turned its front 
immediately from the course I usually took towards it 
with food for them. I approached it often barefooted, 
and soon perceived that if I did not accidentally make 
a noise, the young birds remained in their silent up- 
right attitudes, until I shewed myself to them by turning 
to the front of their prison. I frequently fastened a 
dead squirrel or rabbit, cut open, with all the entrails 
hanging loosely, to a long pole, and in this situation 
would put it to the back part of the cage ; but no 
hissing, no movement was made : when, on the contraiy, 
I presented the end of the pole, thus covered, over the 
cage, no sooner would it appear beyond the edge, than 
