Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-06-15
THE YOUNG VULTURE
He rs WILLING TO FIGHT seFoRe
AE rs ABLE TO FLY.
The FiedgcifnE Has Wonderful
strength OF Biii. Il CouraEecus and
AEEressivc and IL n Quick Almost
a. n Flash OF LightninE.


turkey vuliure. or turkey buzzarvl. as
most people call him. This bird seems
10 be an ever present feature OF the
/ southern landscape for look upward
when YOU win you may see him sweep
ing the sky with outspread wings.
wheeling in broad circles or soaring in
graceful spirals. with seeming never 4
stroke Of the mighty pinionS FOR hours
at time
/ one day | saw a Vuiture sailing thus
says Ernest Harold Baynes i'm the
! Boston Herald. and carefully marked
white clouds and disappeared near the
edge Of distant wood. Surprising
that he had come down 10 feed on some
carrion-a dead horse perhaps. which
had been dragged just outside OF the
woods ana left-I made the best Of my
way to the spot where l lost sight OF
the bird. that l might be witness TO
/ the feast.
arrived at the wood. but neither
bird nor carcass could see. Then
! bethought me that this was the month
OF May. and that perhaps the buzzard
! had n nest thereabOut. | hunted UNI
/ der the bushes. along the side Of fallen
! trees and in some old stumpS which
were standing near. but not feather
was TO be seen.
/ Presently I spicd log which lay
somewhat apart in the shadow OF some
shrubs. and as ! approached il out
/ from somewhere came a big turkey
buzzard. which quickly disappeared
behind the trees. ON coming up to the
\ los, which was 4 large one found
/ that it was hollow. and I'm the cavity
I there were two eggs. which doubtless
/ belonged TO the vulture which had just
/ departed. They were considerably lar
/ ger than the eggs of a domestic hen.
and i'm color they were dirty white.
/ heavily spotted with chocolate brown.
I left them that I might have an op-
portunity to study the young
The next time I visited the hollow
log the parent birds were noI in sight
but I'm the nest found two downy
fcdgelin-s. which could scarcely be
called pretty. They were I'm every way
less attractive than young hawks OF
the same age. They expressed their
uisapproval OF my presence 10y weak
growing sound.
l could not visit the spot again for
some weeks. and when I did one OF
them haj disappeared The other was
no longer In the hollow LOG. but stand
ing at a little distance. and was in
terested 10 see the change i'm his APP
pcaruncc. In the first place. hc had
.
had formerly covered the whole body
was NOW confined chiefly To tie head.
I neck AMI under parts. and the rest OF
I the bird was clothed with firm black
/ feathers. He looked fat and well fed.
1 reached out my hand and caught
I him 10y one wing. But here he had a
surprise for me. FOR hc seized my fin
ger I'm his hooked bill and with "A turn
/ OF his head twisted or a bit OF the
T flesh before I had time even 10 object.
F After hurrielly cleansing the wound I
again advanced on the enemy. who
I was game enough TO satisfy any one
and came 10 the attack with open bill
or course ne was not dangerous I'm the
least. FOR hc was very young and could
not even lily. but Tor n nedgeling the
grip he could give with his bill was
astonishing
However. picked him up took him
/ home and tethered him I'm the garden
with a strap TO one leg. The first night
/ he ate good meal OF liver. and after
T that he took almost any kind Of meat
+ that was given him. let him have
/ carrion whenever II was convenient.
I hut ut other times he ate freshly killed
/ frogs, fresh beef, opossum and even
fish.
one night soon after ! had brought
/ him home I went out 10 see how he
I looked when he was asleep. Ii was so
1 dark that his black plumage was not
/ visible against the grass. An I could
see OF him was a white spot. his head.
rs il hung near the ground.
I approached very quietly and was
within i've feet when something hap
pened. Out of the darkness there came
/ flash Of white straight toward me
/ with speed which caused me 10 step
/ quickly backward. and ut the same in
slant there was a startling. rustling
/ sound accompanied by cultural
/ Srowl, which for 4 moment / did not
/ recognize as the voice OF the young
/ vulture.
Altogether it was n most startling
I phenomenon, and, although I reqiized
in moment that the bird was in some
way the cause Of il, I do not know
even Yet just what happened This
/ much ] know, however that the bird
rushed ut me. growing with all his
might, and that the fash OF white was
the white down of the body uncovered
J by the opening Of the black wings.
/ The rushing sound was. | think
caused in some way by the wing feath-
ers or tail feathers. or both, but wheth-
/ or by dragging them along the ground
/ or otherwise l cannot tell tried on
several occasions TO find this out by ap-
/ preaching the young vulture when
/ there was just light enough for me 10
I see what happened, but he would never
/ act in just the same way unless il was
/ quite dark
No doubt this is some provision OF
nature 10 protect the bird when il Is
young and helpless. and can testify
that il is a good one. for am sure that
few night prowling animals would care
TO pursue their investigations after be
ing given so startling a reception.
An Artists Errors.
Occasionally Nereschagin in his ef
forts after realism made some strange
mistakes. There is. for instance. pic
ture of his representing the execution
] II sN...7.s u