Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-06-16
VULTURES OF MEXICO
HOW THESE BIRDS HAUNT THE ARID
ALKALl PLAINS.
The Whirring Black Cone of Eager
Desert Scaycngers aud the Way In
which the CircIing Mass Desc
Upon Its CarriOn Prey.

our blanketS--We might almost Dc
spending II night Oh the tundraS.
With scarce moment of dawn the
sun floods everything. Il most welcome
warmth for awhile. soon to make one
gasp in its brcathlesS heat. Long be-
fore the rainy season actually begins
vegetation seems to feel Il quickenlng
in the air; the plants scent the coming
moisture weeks beforehand; the rush
inc streams, swollen with the melting
SHOWS from the lower mountain tops,
bring life to the lands through which
they flow; spring is awakening every
wherc-except Oh the alkali plain.
Where thin rind of red brown
grass roots partly covers the white
dust, parched mesquite bushes ma
root. and strange uncouth organ cacti
rear their columns, like mammoth can
delabra. Here wild eyed cattle roam
uneasily. nibbling occasionally at the
bitter grass stems.
Farther out i'm the desert where even
the mesquite and cacti fail. we ride
slowly across the parcbed surface,
wondering If single living thing can
endure the bitterness OF the earth. In
the distance move the whirlwinds OF
dust. tall. thin columns with perfectly
distinct outlines. undulating slowly
here and there both life and death III
their silent movement
Most remarkable II seems 10 us when
n stray great blue heron now and then
flies silently up from the desert lWhat
can possibly attract these birds to such
place OF death rs this. distant even
from the bitter poolsJ and flaps slowly
ont Of sight. Twice a great ebony
raven sails through the dusty air over
orr heads-the same bird repasSing
No other life Is visible save the bal
anced black spccks high against the
blue as invariably part OF Mexican
lav ns are stars of the night HeronS'
yulturcs. ravcn-all move slowly, seem
ing less alive than the distant dust
columns.
But we feel the real spirit OF the
eternal desert when, aS we turn 10 re-
trace our steps, we spy 4 something
white. different from the surrounding
earth. and the spell of past ages fails
upon us. The bitter water Is ever dry
ing ND. the whirlwlnds carry the dust
from place to place. the birds come
and 90 as they please. but this relic of
on elephant of the Oldcn time brings
past and present into close touch.
What scenes has the desert lookc'
nnon since this mammoth StaEgcre!
diving into the Quagnirc which prove,
its tomb? our eyes smart from IN
dust as we reluctantly turn our horse
heads on the back trail. for We ohoul
like to stay and search out these toN
sils-more fascinating in a way tha'
the living beasts and birds which pco
pie the tropics beyond.
One OF the most wonderful OF the
| exhibitions Of bird life vOuchSated %
| us IN Mexico comes Is we leave the
| alkali plain and ride away among the
| mes1uite scrub. \ confused mass OF
black appears in the air, which soon re-
solves itself into hundreds OF lndlVlu'
| ual specks. The atmosphere Is 50 ue-
| ceiving that what at first seems 10 De
| vast cloud of gnats close at hand Is
| soon seen TO be multitude OF birds
blackblrds. perhaps. until we approach
| ond think Them ravens and, finally
| when q quarter OF mile away, we
know that they are vultures. Three
burros lie dead upon the plain. ms
we knew yesterday, and here are Tie
| scayengers. Never have we seen vu'
lures so numerous or in such order.
A careful scrutiny through the glass
es shows many score OF black ana tur
kew buzzards walking about and FEED
ing upon the carcaSeS OF the ANIMALS
From this point there extends upwaro
into the air a vast inverted cone ol
birds. all crcling in the same direction
From where we sit upon our horses
there seems not single one out Ol
Mace. the outline Of the cone being a'
smooth and distinct as though the Dlrd'
were limited in their flight to this par
ticular area. 1t is n rare sight, the SUI
lighting up every bird Oh the farther
side and shadowing black as nigh
those nearest us
Through ones partly closed eyes
the whole mass appears as a m!rla'
of slowly revolving wheels, interscct
ing and crossing each others orbits
but never breaking their circular out
line. The thousands Of soaring forms
hold us spellbound for minutes Defor'
we rode closer. Now change takes
place. as gradual but as sure as IN
shifting clouds of a sunset Unth thi
: moment there had been tendency L
concentrate at the base OF the cone
that norton becoming blacker an
blacker. until ii seemed solid mass
rapidly revolving forms. But III on
near approach. this concentratioi
ceases and there is perfect equilibrium
/ for q time. Then. as we ride up gen
tie slope into clearer view. wonder
? ful ascent begins. Slowly the creePin
+ spiral wings upward; the gigantic IN
? verted cone. still perfect in shape, lift
clear of the ground and drifts away
the summit rises in a curve, which, III
: tie by little. trays out into ragge
! lines. all drifting i'm the same direction
: and before our very eyes the thousand
) Of birds merge into shapeleSS. uhut
t latng cloud. which rises and rises
spreading ont more and more until I'll
eve can no longer distinguish the DIrd'
: which from vulturcs dwindle to mer
! notes floating and lost among IN
! clouds.-C. William Beebe In Ne'
: York Post.
A Great Truth.
prestire Is fckle thing. hard |
,,,nfutafn The mel