. The popular natural history . Zoology. TURKEY BUZZARD. 235 cealment by which to preserve the dead quarry from jackals and Vultures. An ant-bear's hole offered a very convenient hiding-place, into vi^hich the buck was pushed, and the carcass was covered over with some grass cut for the purpose. As usual in South Africa there were some Vultures wheeling round at an enormous height above the horizon; these I believed would soon come down and push aside the grass and tear off the most assail- able parts of the buck. There was, however, no, better means of protec- tion, so I left the animal and r
. The popular natural history . Zoology. TURKEY BUZZARD. 235 cealment by which to preserve the dead quarry from jackals and Vultures. An ant-bear's hole offered a very convenient hiding-place, into vi^hich the buck was pushed, and the carcass was covered over with some grass cut for the purpose. As usual in South Africa there were some Vultures wheeling round at an enormous height above the horizon; these I believed would soon come down and push aside the grass and tear off the most assail- able parts of the buck. There was, however, no, better means of protec- tion, so I left the animal and rode away. When at about a quarter of a mile from the antbear's hole, I thought that it might be interesting to watch how the Vuhures would approach and com- mence operations, so I ' off-saddled,' and kept watch. " After about half an hour, I saw a Vulture coming down from the sky, followed by two or three others. They came down to the spot where the buck had been killed, and flew past this. They then returned and again overshot the mark. After circling several times within a radius of four hundred yards, they flew away. Other Vultures then came and performed similar manoeuvres, but not one appeared to know where the buck was concealed. I then rode off to a greater dis- tance, but the same re- sults occurred. " In the evening I re- turned for my buck, which however was totally useless in consequence of the intense heat of the sun, but which hid not been touched by the ; One of th<? Ijest known of the Vultures is the Turkey Buzzard, more rightly termed the Carrion Vulture. Its name of Turkey Buzzard is earned from the strange resemblance which a Carrion Vulture bears to a turkey as it walks slowly and with a dignified air, stretching its long bare neck, and esdiibiting the fleshly appendages which bear some likeness to the. ARABIAN VULTURE.—(Vultur Monachus.). Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
