Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-30
THE YOUNG VULTURE
HE is WILLING TO FIGHT BEFORE
HE is ABLE TO FLY.
The F1edReling Has Wonderful
Strength of BILL, Is Courageous and
Aggressive and Is as Quick, Almost
as Flash of Lightning.

StrenRtn OF Bill, IL courageous ana
Aggressive and Is as Quick, Almost
"a Flash of Lightning.
everybody knows whether he Is ma
ture student or not. i refer to the
turkey vulture, or turkey buzZard, as
most people call him. This bird seems
to be an ever present feature of the
southern landscape, for look upward
when you will you may see him sweep
ing the sky with outspread wings,
wheeling in broad circles or soaring in
graceful spirals, with seeming never a
stroke Of the mighty pinions for hours
| at time.
One day saw vulture sailing thus,
says Ernest Harold Baynes in the
Boston Herald, and l carefully marked
his fight until he descended from the
white clouds and disappeared near the
| edge of q distant wood. SuppOsing
that he had come down to feed on some
carrion-a dead horse perhaps. which
had been dragged just outside of the
! woods and left made the best of my
way to the spot where l lost sight of
the bird. that l might be a witness to
! the feast.
! l arrived at the wood, but neither
| bird nor carcass could see. Then
bethougEt me that this was the month
of May, and that perhaps the buzzard
had nest thereabout. ! hunted I'M
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 l spied log which lay
somewhat apart in the shadow of some
shrubs, and as l approached it out
from somewhere came a big turkey
buzzard, which quickly disappeared
behind the trees. On coming up to the
log, which was large one, found
that it was hollow. and in the cavity
there were two eggs, which doubtless
belonged to the vulture which had Just
departed. They were considerably lar
ger than the eggs of domestic hen,
and in color they were dirty white,
heavily spotted with chocolate brown.
l left them that l might have an OPP
portunity to study the young.
The next time l visited the hollow
log the parent birds were not in sight,
but in the nest l found two downy
fiedgelings, which could scarcely be
called pretty. They were in every way
less attractive than young hawks of
the same age. They expressed their
disapproyal of my presence by weak
growing sound.
l could not visit the spot again for
some weeks, and when did one of
them had disappeared. The other was
no longer In the hollow log, but stand
ing at little distance, and l was in
terested to see the change In his ap-
pearance. In the first place, he had
grown tremendously; the down which
had formerly covered the whole body
was now confined chiefly to the head,
neck and under parts, and the rest OF
the bird was clothed with firm black
feathers. He looked fat and well fed.
l reached out my hand and caught
him by one wing. But here he had a
surprise for me, for he seized my fin
ger in his hooked bill and with turn
Of his head twisted of bit Of the
flesh before had time even to object.
After hurriedly cleansing the wound I
again advanced on the enemy, who
was game enough to satisfy any one
and came to the attack with open bill.
OF course he was not dangerous In the
not even fly, but for tledgeling the
grip he could give with his bill was
astonishing.
However, l picked him up, took him
home and tethered him in the garden
with strap to one leg. The first night
he ate good meal of liver, and after
that he took almost any kind Of meat
that was given him. let him have
carrion whenever 1t was convenient,
but at other times he ate freshly killed
frogs, fresh beef, opossum and even
fish
One night soon after had brought
him home I went out to see how he
looked when he was asleep. 1t was so
dark that his black plumage was not
visible against the grass. All l could
see of him was white spot. his head,
as it hung near the ground.
approached very quietly and was
within five feet when something hap |
pened. Out of the darkness there came
a flash of white straight toward me
with speed which caused me to step |
quickly backward, and at the same in
slant there was startling, rustling |
sound, accompanied by cultural
growl. which for moment did not
recognize as the voice Of the young
vulture
Altogether it was a most startling
and although realized
in a moment that the bird was in some
way the cause OF it, l do not know
even yet just what happened. This
much l know, however, that the bird
rushed at me. growing with all his
might, and that the fash of white was