The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-25
CHARLEsToN's BLACK WINGS.

Like the White Wings of Gotham, They
 Help Keep the City Clean.
 Of all the odd pets I have ever seen or heard of, it seems to me that 1 Charlestons pet buzzards go up at the
 very top of the list. These buzzards
 are not only allowed to roam about the
 streets and market place at will, but
 their lives are protected by law. Re-
 gently I made my first visit to Charles 1 ton in order to attend the opening of
 the great exposition in that city, which,
 by the way, let me say here, is an en- l terprise of great magnitude and most
 worthy of the praise and hearty sup port of the people of the entire country. While on the spot I determined to in vestigate and find out for myself about these strange pets of the city authori- ties.
 I had always understood that MT. Buzzard made his headquarters about the central market, which Is situated on one of the principal streets, near the United States custom house, and be- tween the Charleston Hotel and the
 celebrated old church of St. Michaels.
 One bright morning I started out. To
 
 right up to big flock of these ebony
 birds picking at bones or loose scraps of meat and moving about on the mar ket pavement in quite a leisurely way and as unconcerned about the life around them as chickens in a farmers barnyard. The crowds of people going in and out of the market paid no more attention to these feathered monsters, at their feet than we do to as many English sparrows on our streets.
 I slowly drew nearer and nearer, all the time watching them closely, for I had never been so near birds of this efather and odor in all my life. I was surprised to find the sight so bewilder- ing as well as entertaining, To me they seemed not only to be leisurely en- gagged in eating their morning repast, but were at the same time initiating many of the different characteristics of the human family Their actions were so true to nature in many phases of hu- man life that I almost felt I was wit messing real play, the pavement be- fore me being a stage. Soon it oc- cured to me that buzzards perhaps first became welcome visitors in the streets of Charleston some hundreds of years ago, not as scavengers as the modern Charlestonian will now tell you, but simply to entertain the people by their many odd and clever acts. I will here note a ftw of their performances, which I witnessed that morning.
 One seemed to be the wag of the flock and would raise one Wing much higher bn i,, fac zg-zag way walk across the street, which act seemed at least highly satis- factory to himself. Another would | hold his wings in most greceful posi- tion and give a few steps of that old time favorite dance known as the minu- ct. Others would stand very erect | while putting the tips of their wings ' close around their feet and letting the upper parts stand out little, giving them the appearance of initiating the members of the United States supreme court in their official gowns. Others [ like prim, dignified widows in . deepest mourning and with hearts bowed down with sorrow. Some looked . like naughty bondholders with no poor kin and plenty of money to burn Oth- CTS sdNe an dppedldlCe ol pelHg poor and proud and were just certain they belonged to the very first families of the land, and that in their veins flowed purer blood and more of it than any other buzzards in the whole flock, while others cut to perfection the old fashioned pigeon wing with it's many 
 No wonder they are so naughty and without regard for the rights and feel ngs of others. for they have a trust founded upon the richest scavenger | business in one of the oldest cities of