The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-07-06
THE YOUNG VlTLTURE
He is WILLING TO EIGHT sEFoRE
He is ABLE TO Fly.

as q Flash OF Lightning.
In the south there is one bird which
S.erybody knows whether be is ma
ture student or not / refer to the
turkey vulture. or turkey buzzard. as
most people call him. This bird seems
10 be an ever present feature Of the
southern landscape, for look upward
when you viii 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 a time.
One day saw a vulture sailing thus.
says Ernest Harold Raynes in the
Boston Herald, snd 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
rarrion-a dead horse perhaps. which
had been dragged just outside Of the
woods and left-I made the best Of my
vas to the spot where I lost sight, of
the bird. that ] 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 q nest thereabout. I hunted un-
der the bushes, along the side OF fallen
freesland In some old stumps which
were standing near. but not q feather
was to be seen.
Presently I spied log which lay
somewhat apart in the shadow OF some
shrubs, and as approached it out
from somewhere came big turkey
buzzard, which quickly disappeared
behind the trees. On coming up to the
log, which was a large one, 1 found
that it was hollow. and in the cavity
there were two eggs. which doubtless
belonged to the Eulture 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.
II left them that I might have an op-
portnnity to study the young.
The next time T visited the hollow
log the parent birds were not in sight,
but in the nest found two downy
Hedgeliags. which could scarcely be
called pretty. They were in every way
less attractive than young hawks OF
the same age. They expressed their
assapprova! Of my presence by weak
growing sound.
I could not visit the spot again for
some weeks. and when I did one OF
them had disappeared. The other was
no longer Ia the hollow iog., but stand
ing at little distance, and was in
terestea to see the change in his ap-
pearance. In the first place, he had
grown tresnend lousy; the down which
had formerly covered the whole body
nas ncw cohfnedd chiefly to the head,
neck End under parts, and the rest OF
fhe bird was clothed with firm black
feafhers. He looked fat and well fetl.
reached out my hand and caught
him by one wing. But here he had
smprise FOR me. for he seized my nm
per Ia his hooked bill and with q turn
or his head twisted of a bit Of the
flesh before had time even to object.
After hurciedly cleansing the wound l
agair, 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
feast. for he was very young and could
net even Gy. but for fedgeling the
grip he could give with. his bill was
astonishing.
However. picked him up. took him
home and tethered him in the garden
with q 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 it was convenient.
but at other times he ate freshly killed
frogs. fresh beef. opossum and even
fsh.
One night soon after had brought
him home went out to see how he
looked when be was asleep. It was so
dark that his black plumage was not
visible against the grass. All 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
fash of white straight toward me
with speed which caused me to step
quickly backward. and at the same in
slant there was n startling. rustling
sound. accompanied by cultural
growl. which for a moment / did not
recognize Us the voice Of the young
vuiture.
Altogether it was most startling
phenomenon. and. although l realized
in q moment that tie bird was in some
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