Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-09-10
TIE SCENT OF THE BuzzARD.

While digging sweet potatoes noticed a
very luxurious growth of the vines cover
ing a small mound in the field, and inquiry
revealed the fact that horse and COW had
been buried there some years before. just
then nothing impressed me in that connec-
tion save the immensity of the potatoes
which we found overlyingt these two graves ;
but in the afternoon and during the following
day buzzards shadowed the farm by scores,
seeming to obey from all quarters of the
heavens mysterious summons to convoca-
tion. l soon perceived the sweet potato
field was the radiant point " of each
speeding shadow. Buzzard after buzzard |
traced as they appeared In various portions
of the sky with half-folded wings, remind
ing me of mute aerial hounds, coming
down the scent, their course as swift, 81
lent, and undertaking as an arrows. 1t was
strangely interesting spectacle TO behold
them swoop within few feet of the horse
hades, and rise again with Glow, reluot-
ant flaps, indicative of disappointment,
then return to deliberately "beat
and "quarter" the ground, aerially
speaking, with all the tact and persevering
sRgacity of their canine compeers IN fact,
the performance was suggestive of fox
hunt, in which Reynard's place was repre-
sented by the dead bodies, "earthed " in
this case, however, for other than Reynard
reasons. One of the vultures in particular
showed an extreme faith in the guidance of
its smelling powers by alighting without
demur on the fence half dozen PAGES from
tAe center OF attraction, where, after some
time of manifest uneasiness and uncouth
posturing, it was joined by few Of its
more dubious companions. This visitation
of uncanny birds continued long after,
| though never saw so many as at the first
when the crop was plowed out, this dis
| turbance probably releasing for time the
pent-up odors. could detect no taint in
the atmosphere OF The placs even while
working in the freshly-plowed ground, yet
| hundreds OF buzzards assembled from far
and near, and with uperring accuracy
pointed out the place of burial with over.
shsdowing wings. In consequence Of these
observations the theory that the vulture
family are enabled to detect the existence
of dead body by scent, unassisted by any
of the remaining senses, and this, too, at
great distances, and when such CARCASS
had lain deep under the ground for several
years, was TO me satisfactorily proved
Gosee, as / before stated, gives an instance
con6tmatory TO the one just related, Justly
sttributing to the same species this won
drous faculty of tracking its prey from
afar 1t was observed in Jamaica: "a
poor German immigrant, who lived alone
in detached cottage in this town, rose
from his bed, after few days oonfne.
ment by fever, to purchase in the market
some fresh meat for little soup. Before
he could prepare the several ingredients of
herbs and roots, and put his meat in water
for the preparation of his pottage, the
paroxysm of his fever had returned, and
he laid himself on bis bed exhausted. Two
days elapsed in this state of helplessness
and inanimation, by which time the mass
of mea. and pot herbs had purified. The
stencil became very peroeptible In the
neighbcrhood vulture after vulture as
they ssiled past were observed always to
descend to the cottage of the German, and
to sweep round as if they had tracked
some putrid carcass, but failed to find ex.
actly where it was. 1.-THE American Nat
uralist.