102 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA VS 
CHAP. 
When an animal is killed and skinned, before 
the operation is completed the first bird to 
appear is the wily and omnipresent crow. The 
next is the ordinary buzzard. Both these birds 
are near the surface of the earth, seeking their 
food with untiring energy; but although they 
may have keen powers of scent, even they, in my 
opinion, are mainly guided by their acuteness of 
vision, as they are always on the alert, hunting in 
every direction, and in fact keeping a sharp 
“ look-out.’' 
The third arrival is the small red - necked 
vulture. This bird descends from a great 
height. 
It is now most interesting to watch the 
concentration from all quarters of the compass; 
this is easily arranged by lying beneath a bush, 
and shading the eyes while you gaze into the 
deep-blue sky. It will appear to be alive with 
the smallest flies, all moving, all hurrying, and 
descending. These become rapidly larger, and 
you are aware that they are vultures, collecting 
from such enormous altitudes, that, were a 
mountain-top exposed, it would be capped with 
everlasting snow. While you are straining your 
eyes to peer into those blue vaults, you are 
startled by a tremendous rush like the roar of a 
rocket; this is the descent with closed wings of 
one of the large bare-necked vultures, which has 
plunged like a plummet for some 1000 feet, to 
share in the feast below. 
