. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders, with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . est of man, and accompanies him in all his wanderingsthrough its habitat. In nearly all the large towns of South Americait has acquired rights of citizenship, where it may be seen almost ina domestic state, and multiplying under the protection of the Peru the inhabitants are interdicted from killing a Urubu underpenalty of ten pounds. The same prohibition exists in Jamaica. This will easily be understood when it is explained that in thesecountries the
. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders, with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . est of man, and accompanies him in all his wanderingsthrough its habitat. In nearly all the large towns of South Americait has acquired rights of citizenship, where it may be seen almost ina domestic state, and multiplying under the protection of the Peru the inhabitants are interdicted from killing a Urubu underpenalty of ten pounds. The same prohibition exists in Jamaica. This will easily be understood when it is explained that in thesecountries the Urubus perform the whole duty of cleansing the publicstreets from all kinds of filth and garbage, which, under the influenceof a tropical sun, would certainly infect the air and engender con-tinual epidemics. These birds, officiating as public scavengers, URUBUS. 605 preserve the general health, and are therefore placed under the pro-tection of the laws, in spite of their unpleasant aspect and theirunclean odour. The familiarity and tameness of the Urubus, says AlcideDOrbigny, are extreme. At the time of the distributions of meat. Fig. 283.—Urubus. made to the Indians in the province of Mojos I have known themsnatch away the pieces as soon as the men had received them. Atone of these periodical distributions at Concepcion de Mojos, anIndian told me beforehand that I should see the most impudentbird possible, which was well known to the inhabitants by havinglost a foot. It was not long, in fact, before w^e saw it come up, andit certainly showed all the qualities that had been attributed to was told, says he, that it was perfectly aware of the time of thedistribution, which took place every fifteen days in each mission. 6o6 REPTILES AND BIRDS. And true enough, for happening to be present the following weekat a similar performance at the mission of Magdalena, distant twentyleagues from Concepcion, I heard the Indians cry out, and soonrecognised the lame Urubu, just arrived
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectreptiles, bookyear1
