of the
heavens, now swimming in circles, now shooting off in horizontal lines,
and anon soaring upward or tracing the undulating curves of the ogee.
It is, to say the least of it, a striking and beautiful sight.

The turkey-buzzard is, upon the whole, a nobler bird than the black
vulture. There is more of the eagle about him. Both, it is true, are
carrion-feeders, like all vultures; but the buzzard also hunts after
other food, such as snakes, lizards, and small quadrupeds. He will
attack young lambs or pigs, when a good opportunity offers. So, too,
will the black vulture, but not so frequently. Neither of them,
however, do much harm in this respect; and their preying on such animals
is an exception, and not a rule. They only do so, probably, when driven
to it by hunger. Both species are gregarious, although they do not
always appear in flocks. The buzzards, particularly, are often seen
hunting alone, or in twos or threes; but their mode of life brings them
together in large numbers. They often assemble--both buzzards and black
vultures--to the number of hundreds, over a single carrion. The
buzzards, however, are not so plenty as the black vultures; and in one
of these flocks more than three-fourths will be found of the latter
species. The buzzards are the shyer birds; and they are less disposed
to keep together in flocks. It has even been said that these are not
gregarious, as they are often seen alone in the high regions of the air.
But it is certain that not only do numbers of them roost together at
night, but they even associate with the black vultures at such times.

In most countries the vulture is a privileged bird. He is looked upon
as a cheap and useful scavenger, clearing away the carcasses of dead
animals, that would otherwise pollute the atmosphere. This is a matter
of much importance in hot countries; and it is only in such countries
that vultures are commonly found. What a beautiful illustration of the
completeness of Nature's laws! As you get into high latitudes and
colder regions--where the air is not so readily tainted by putrid
substances--the necessity for such a scavenger no longer exists, and he
is rarely met with. There the great vulture gives place to the croaking
raven, and the small carrion-crow.

Vultures, I have said, are privileged birds. In most countries they are
protected by law. This is the case with regard to the present species,
both in English and Spanish America,