. A history of North American birds [microform] : land birds. Birds; Ornithology; Oiseaux; Ornithologie. —THE AMERICAN VULTI:HKS. 34] try in soivreh of food. Often when liuiitin^' in tlie Ti'Jun V'liUcy, if iinsiiccivss- fiil, tlioy wiiiild lie scvt-rul iioMis witlioiit seeing uno of tiiis specii's ; Imt (w soon us tliuy succeeded in l>iiii;,'iii,L; down any liirj^o j,'iinie, tlieso l)irds would be seen risin;,' iiliovo tlie horizon before the body liiul j,'rown cold, and slowly sweepin"; towards tiiein, intent upon their share of the j,'aine. In the al»senee of the hunter
. A history of North American birds [microform] : land birds. Birds; Ornithology; Oiseaux; Ornithologie. —THE AMERICAN VULTI:HKS. 34] try in soivreh of food. Often when liuiitin^' in tlie Ti'Jun V'liUcy, if iinsiiccivss- fiil, tlioy wiiiild lie scvt-rul iioMis witlioiit seeing uno of tiiis specii's ; Imt (w soon us tliuy succeeded in l>iiii;,'iii,L; down any liirj^o j,'iinie, tlieso l)irds would be seen risin;,' iiliovo tlie horizon before the body liiul j,'rown cold, and slowly sweepin"; towards tiiein, intent upon their share of the j,'aine. In the al»senee of the hunter, unless well ]irotecteil, these marauders will be siu'e todrai,' out from its coneealment the slain animal, even thou^^h carefully cov- ered with Immches. I)r. ileermann states tlial lie has known them to draj,' out and devour a deer witliin an hour. This Vulture possesses immense muscular jMiwer. Dr. Ileermann has known four of them to dran the body of tt youn;,' ^'rizzly liear, that weij,'hed over a hun- dreil pounds, tlu^ distance of two hundred yards. Dr. (.'ooper states that it visits the Columbia Itiver in autumn, wlien its shores :\\v lineil wiiii j,'reat luimbers of dead salmon, on which, in company witli other birds and va- rious animals, it feasts for a coupli! of months. He considered it, lu)wever, only a visitor at certain seasons, and not a resi- dent evcMi through the ie tlid not .see it, nor did he lu^ar of its jn-esence at l'u<iet Sound. It is stated by Douj^las that Vidtures will in no instance attack any livini,' animal unless it be ,so severely wounded as to be unable to walk. Their senses of si^ht and smell are very acute, especially the former; and when searching for jirey they soar to a very <,'reat heijiht, and if they chance to discover a wounded animal they immediately follow iind attack it whenever it sinks down. The finst comers are soon followed by others, and it is not lonj;- before the carcpss is reduced to a skeleton. After thus f
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectorn
