The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-09
Strange Scayengers.

Charleston, s. c., has the most
primitive and peculiar scavengers IN
the world. Hundreds seems thou
sands-of sarrion crows, or buzzards,
in the very early morning swoop down
upon the historical old city from the
tall palm or palmetto forests which
skirt the western suburbs.
In the waking hours any passenger
entering Charleston on the Columbia
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 buz-
yards. While the twilight is yet gray
these vulgar birds 60 to the City Mar
ket and infest it for an hour or two.
The passenger who was startled by
their dull! flop from their palmetto
pcrches, and saw great black clouds of
them move across the low rice fats,
can, if he goes to the market place,
see the same birds, disgustingly tame,
running about the stall floors Of the
meat mart, fighting with the hunger
Of dogs of the city for the bones and
waste which fall from the butchers
meat blocks.
A stranger 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 it's curious soavenger
birds to be destroyed with impunity.
The Charleston Market is q 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 go
from the harbor boats. It is novel
sight to see the hurrying feet of work
men treading their way carefully
among these wild birds gathered there
by the hundreds. Like domestic
chickens, they stand about, and, like
domestic dogs, they watch for every
piece of waste as it is dropped from a
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 no
where 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 morning
tile writer counted over three hundred
of these buzzards walking about as
nonchalently as though it was their
own poultry yard. They will not get
out of your way They fight every
dog or cat that attempts to run in op-
position, and will scramble with
man OF a child who competes with
them for fallen scrap Of meat. But
they keep the Charleston markets
clean, perfectly clean. AS result of
their thorough scavenger work this is
the cleanest and healthiest meat mar
ket in the world.
In consideration Of their assistance
in keeping the city clean the munich
pal Council has made it an offence to
injure or kill enc Of them. An often
der not only has to pay fine of $40,
but unusually gets free lecture on
the laws of health and the value of
the buzzards as assistant members 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 usu-
ally gets up after that hour, and
strolls out later, never sees this extra
ordinary sight of wild birds acting as
market scavengers.- Washington Star.