514 
BIRD-LIFE. 
inch. The weaker guests sit respectful, but envious of the 
privileges of the stronger party : they watch the proceed¬ 
ings closely, being well aware that an odd piece or so will 
get thrown in their way by the combatants, not of their 
own free will, but in the heat of the fight. 
A small mammal is disposed of in a few minutes by 
this greedy community; and after one meal, even, little 
remains of a cow or camel. Those who have had enough 
now retire, but reluctantly, though each has probably 
managed to stow away three or four pounds weight of 
meat in its crop. Usually they do not go very far 
from the scene of their orgies, but stop a few yards 
distant, where they await the process of digestion in 
peace; after which they go to drink, an operation over 
which they also generally take some time. About the 
middle of the afternoon they start for home. 
My sporting friends and I used to amuse ourselves 
occasionally by rapidly discharging two double-guns one 
after the other amongst the greedy mob. On these 
occasions we would lay the carcase in places where 
we could crouch in ambush, or erect a hut or screen, 
from behind which we might fire. At the first dis¬ 
charge the consternation of the swarm was tremendous : 
rising in a confused mass, they fairly hindered one 
another in flying. This state of panic, however, only 
lasted a very short time, so that it was rarely that we 
could manage to discharge a third fowling-piece before 
the birds made good their escape. Sometimes they would 
be so utterly scared, that they would alight again after 
the first shot, as it were to enquire into the cause of 
such an unwonted assault, before they took their final 
flight. The wounded sought as much as possible to get 
out of reach. These birds are excessively tenacious of 
