The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-30
STRANGE sCAvENGERs.

How the Markets OF Charleston Are Kept
Clean.
Charleston has the most primitive
and peculiar scavengers in the
world. Hundreds-it seems thou
sands-of carrion crows or buzzards
in the very early morning swoop
down upon the historical old city
from the tall palm, or palmetto, for
ests which skirt the western sub
urbs.
In the waking ho1rs any passen-
ger entering Charleston on the Co.
lumbia express can see huge black
Jumps fall from the trees about.
They never hit the ground. Out in
the open these black Jumps gather
in a struggling flock and flop their
way over toward the custom house.
They are buzzards. While the twi-
light is yet gray these vulgar birds
80 to the city market and infest it
for an hour or two. The passenger
who was startled by their dull flop
from their palmetto perches and
saw great black clouds Of them move
across the low rice flats can, if he
goes to the market place, gee the
same birds, disgustingly tame, run
ming about the stall flows of the
meat mart, fighting with the hunger
of dogs of the city for the bones
and waste which fall from the
butchers meat block.
A Astranger who did not appreciate
the health value of these buzzards
is liable to kill one of them. Then
he is liable to be fined $40, for the
city does not allow its curious scav-
enger birds to be destroyed with i'm
punity.
The Charleston market is noted
place in the south. 1t runs from
Market street to the waters edge
and is the main thoroughfare for the
crowd of pedestrians who come and
20 from the harbor boats. It is a
novel sight to see the hurrying feet Of
workmen threading their way care
fully among these wild birds gath
cred there by the hundreds. Like
domestic chickens, they stand about
and, like domestic dogs, they watch
for every piece of waste as tits drop
ped from meat block. One would
hardly think, as he pushes the big
birds out of the way, that these
same feathered things roost in the
forest and are tame nowhere else.
In the markets they never attempt
to steal meat from the counter.
Going through the three or four
blocks of the big market one morn
ing, the writer counted over 300 of
these buzzards walking about as
nonchalantly as though it was their
own poultry yard. They will not
get out of your way. They fight ev-
cry dog or cat that attempts to run
in opposition and will scramble with
man or child who competes with
them for fallen scrap of meat. But
they keep the Charleston markets
clean-perfeotly clean. AS result
Of their thorough scavenger work
this is the cleanest and healthiest
meat market in the world.
In consideration of their assistance
in keeping the city clean the lnuni-
cipal council has made it an ofense
to injure or kill one Of them. An
offender not only has to pay $40
fine, but usually gets free lecture
on the laws of health and the value
of the buzzards as assistant men,
bers of the local board of health.
By an hour after sunrise the birds
have all left the city. 1t is for this
reason that the visitor to the city.
who usually gets up after that hour
and strolls out later, never sees this
extraordinary sight of wild birds
acting as market scavengers.-
Washington Star.