Evening journal., 1898-09-06
cARRIoN BIRDS OF CUBA.
Are I'm Some Respects AIIies
OF the American Army.


A feature of campaigning in Cuba
which has inspired the soldiers from
the north with horror and disgust Is
the presence of the huge turkey buzz
yards on the battlehelds. This bird Is
perhaps in appearance and habits the
most loathsome creature of air known
to this contin0pt. 1t is. of right, vul-
ture, stands about two and one-half
feet high, and is of a lustrous brown
lsh black plumage.
The hideous part of the bird is its
head and neck naked of plumage and
reddish, like raw flesh. Below this Is
a circular ruff of feathers, which
seems to accentuate the revolving APP
pearance of the neck. The bill is long
and slender, with a powerful curved
tip for tearing flesh.
Carrion is the food of the turkey
buzzard, though il will eat fresh meat,
and, when in force. will even kill small
animals or birds. But American sol
diers In Cuba, with their dead lying in
the thick underbrush, know too well
what the approach of these yultures
means, and for them the nauseons
birds form the chief horrors of the
war. In letter to friend in this city,
written after the fighting at Baiquiri,
one of the rough riders tells of watch
ing the buzzards come, and shooting at
them as they settled down TO their
feast. One of his company, he adds,
who fought as bravely as the best dur
ing the battle, went into sort Of n
hysteriSal At at the approach of one Of
the birds, and covered away from it,
crying like child. Other instances
ofthe soldiers shooting at the buzzards
and killing or driving them away have
been related.
Yet there Is much TO be said on the
side Of the carrion birds. They are
our best allies, and as soon as the bat
tie is over their work of sanitation be-
gins. In that hot climate death turks
in the dead and reaches forth for the
living. Close behind death in battle
waits death by pestilence, ready TO
claim more victims than shot and shell
IL Is here that the vultures perform
their part. terrible to think Of. but
very necessary to the nrmy's veal
After the battle, friend or foe lie dead
together i'm the all but impenetrable
chapparral. What the burial parties
cannot find in that tangled underwood
the instinct of the vuture discovers
Far away in the sky-distance q black
spot appears, grows larger, and sails
along on motionless wings until pres
emily it settles down TO earth. Others
follow, gathering from all parts of tn,
compass. They settle in little bands
of six or eight or even n dozen, ant
when they have risen, instead OF th,
intolerable and horrible residue Of hu
manity which lay in the brush, {
menace Of pestilence, there remaini
only a skeleton TO whiten in the SUI
and rain.
All through tie south the worth O
the turkey buzzard as n scavenger 1
we'll understood. Laws are in fore
protecting these birds, and anyon
shooting them or wantonly disturbing
them Is fined. In the smaller town
they are the STRENGTHENING depart
ment, and even in cities like Charles
ton they stalk about the streets unmo
Tested, and uttering their harsh, hiss
ing note. New Jersey is as far nortl
as they get on the Atlantic coast. bu
the southern states TEEN with them
and in Cuba they have multiplied rap
d idly in the last two years. Hideous ans
foul as they and their ways are tn,
northern soldier who shoots them un
: Willingly commits an offense agains
= the whole army OF Invasion, for !
there were no turkey buzzards in Cub
, many a good American who will re
turn home to tell OF his part in the wa
= would leave his bones for testimonial
, 70 a more deadly foe than the Spanish