. Natural history of birds : their architecture habits and faculties . pon as subsisting wholly on livingprey. It is not furnished by nature with suffi-ciently formidable weapons for this purpose ; andalmost uniformly, when carrion cannot be obtain-ed, it attacks lambs, sickly sheep, or such as havefallen into a ditch or bog, perching on the headand pecking out the eyes. In temperate climates,birds that prey on carrion are less necessary asscavengers than in tropical countries, where flocksof vultures collect together from distances thathave astonished all observers by whom the circum-stance i
. Natural history of birds : their architecture habits and faculties . pon as subsisting wholly on livingprey. It is not furnished by nature with suffi-ciently formidable weapons for this purpose ; andalmost uniformly, when carrion cannot be obtain-ed, it attacks lambs, sickly sheep, or such as havefallen into a ditch or bog, perching on the headand pecking out the eyes. In temperate climates,birds that prey on carrion are less necessary asscavengers than in tropical countries, where flocksof vultures collect together from distances thathave astonished all observers by whom the circum-stance is recorded. The gregariousness of thesebirds, however, may be plausibly referred to thewise care of Providence to have offensive car-casses speedily removed; and it is manifestlywith this design that such birds are endowed withextremely acute senses, either of vision or of smell,probably both, so as to enable them to discover car-rion afar off. This is well exemplified in two species, whichhave been frequently confounded, the Turkey buz- SOLITARY AND GREGARIOUS. 119. Turkey Buzzard and Black Vulture. ZdLYd (Catharista aura, Vieillot) and the black vulture(C Urubu, Vieillot), both of which are looked uponas so useful that there is a considerable penalty forkilling them. The great number of these birds 120 HABITS OF BIRDS. (C. Urubu), says Ulloa, found in hot climates, is anexcellent provision of nature; as otherwise theputrefaction caused by the constant and excessiveheat would render the air insupportable to humanlife. These birds are familiar in Carlhagena; thetops of the houses are covered with them : it it:they who cleanse the city of ail its animal impuri-ties. There are few animals killed whereof theydo not obtain the offals; and when this food iswanting, they have recourse to other garbage. Thefollowing account of the same bird is in Wilsonsbest manner. A horse had dropped down in the street in con-vulsions, and, dying, it was dragged out to Hamp-stead and skinned. The gr
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