UNCLE THOMAS TELLS SEVERAL INTERESTING TALES ABOUT THE FEROCITY AND TENACITY OF LIFE IN THE VULTURE, AND ABOUT THE GREEDINESS WITH WHICH IT DEVOURS ITS PREY.

So interested had Mary and Jane become in Uncle Thomas’s Stories that long ere the time for setting out on the following evening they were in readiness. Mary, indeed, wished to set off at once without waiting the arrival of the usual hour, as she was, she said, quite sure that Uncle Thomas would be glad to see them, however soon, and that there was no fear of exhausting his Stories, since he had so many, and really she was so anxious to hear him begin. All her efforts, however, could not convince Mama of the propriety of setting out so early, and she at length found some occupation on which she soon became so intent that the time seemed to steal imperceptibly away, and she had not quite finished the task which she had appointed to herself, when her Brothers gave notice that it was time to set out.

Uncle Thomas received them in his usual affectionate manner, and when they were once more seated he began:—

“I am this evening going to tell you,” he said, “about a Bird which, though in some degree allied to the Eagles, yet differs from them in many essential points—I mean the Vulture. While the Eagle seeks its prey among living animals only, the Vulture confines itself to dead and decaying substances, seeming to prefer such as is in the last stage of decomposition, rather than fresh and recently killed animals.”

“A singular taste it must have, Uncle Thomas,” remarked John.

“To our notions it does seem singular,” said Uncle Thomas; “it yet requires but a moment’s consideration to show us how admirably this ‘depraved’ taste, as it has been called, fits the animal for the purposes for which the Creator designed it. The Vulture is found in the greatest numbers in hot climates, where, if the bodies of dead animals were left to putrify and taint the air, they would soon cause a pestilence, and thus spread death and destruction among the inhabitants. But against such calamities Providence has guarded, by creating the Vulture with an appetite for such substances which are thus speedily consumed. It is thus that we can readily account for a taste which seems to us at first to be almost inexplicable.

“In most of the towns in Egypt,” continued Uncle Thomas, “the Vulture is a privileged citizen, and no one is allowed to molest it. It there executes the office of scavenger, and speedily removes such substances as would soon become offensive.”

“Does the Vulture never kill its own prey?” asked Harry.

“I do not recollect an instance of its so doing,” said Uncle Thomas, “and indeed its sluggish inactive flight in some measure unfits it for procuring its food in this way, though I dare say they sometimes find it necessary to exert themselves. But they have been gifted by Nature with a power which supplies the place of activity; their extraordinary strength of vision, enabling them to perceive their prey at a distance of many miles. On one occasion, a hunting party in India killed a large Hog, and left it on the ground near their tent. In about an hour afterwards some of the party happening to be walking near the spot where it lay, the sky being perfectly clear, their attention was attracted by a dark spot in the air at a great distance. As they looked at it, it appeared to increase in size, and to move directly towards them. It proved to be a vulture flying in a direct line towards the dead Hog. In an hour seventy others came in all directions.”

“How did they all get notice about the dead Hog?” asked Mary.

“That is a question which I cannot answer,” said Uncle Thomas. “It appears quite inexplicable, except on the principle of the watchful care of God over every living creature. The particular means by which it is accomplished, however, I cannot explain. It has frequently been observed that in crossing the wide-spreading deserts of Africa, where there is neither food nor shelter to be obtained, and consequently there is no temptation to the Vulture frequently to survey it, should a camel or other beast of burden belonging to the caravans which cross these inhospitable deserts drop down, a very short time elapses before numbers of vultures are seen approaching in all directions, and from such distances that when first observed they seem but so many specks in the sky.

“Feeding, as the Vultures do,” continued Uncle Thomas, “at uncertain intervals, when they do happen to fall in with a prey, they gorge themselves to such a degree as to make themselves quite unable to fly. The natives of South America avail themselves of this voracity to catch the Condor—the Vulture of that country. They expose the carcass of a dead Horse or Cow, which soon attracts plenty of Condors. They allow them to feed heartily, and when they have completely gorged themselves, they approach and throw a noose over their heads, and thus secure them.

“When, however, they are attacked before they have finished their filthy meal, they fight with great determination. ‘One day,’ says a traveller, who proceeded up the Nile, ‘as I was reading in my cabin, my attention was directed by the trackers to three large Vultures on the shore, not forty yards distant. Immediately afterwards two of them retired leisurely into the desert, and the other to a ridge of sand upon the top of a bank. I was quickly landed, and firing at the latter, he appeared to be hit, though not so severely as to prevent his flying about a mile up the stream, where he again settled. I now passed the ridge in search of his two companions, which had joined a party of four others, and were all sitting together on a sandhill at no great distance. Their wings were spread, their plumage ragged, and they looked bare and hungry as the desert around them. To approach unobserved was impossible. There was not even a mat-rush for shelter. They began to exchange looks, seeming to communicate their suspicions that all was not right, and then taking flight, one by one, the last had gone before I could fire with any fair chance of success. I had scarcely regained the bank in quest of the one I had fired at, when I heard a shot a little higher up, and at the same time saw a Vulture fall into the river, and come paddling down with open wings. But even the old Nile could not befriend her. A bearded and swarthy Arab appeared upon the bank and, running down to the water’s edge, stopped as if perplexed respecting his next step. The delay was momentary; with one and the same effort he threw his clothes upon the mud and himself into the stream, and reaching forward with alternate arms quickly overtook the wounded Bird. The latter was ready to receive him. Stretching forth his neck and opening his beak, he turned upon his pursuer, who by darting up the stream, eluded his attack. After repeated attempts, the Arab at length reached the end of the wing under water, and swimming gently forward on his side, pulled the bird, apparently exhausted, towards the shore; but the Vulture no sooner gained his feet than he furiously assailed his naked enemy, who, retreating with a loud yell, first in a straight line, then in a circle round the bird, still held the extreme end of the feathers, and warded off the strokes with its own pinion. The Vulture’s beak was frequently within a few inches of the Arabs ribs, and had he succeeded, he would doubtless have made short work of it. Yet the cry of the Arab was not altogether that of fear. There was a mixture of bitter playfulness and triumph, as one sometimes says, ‘You will—will you?’ It was a Turk who had shot the bird, and he was now watching the affair from the bank. I hastened towards him, and, neither understanding the other’s language, we commenced, after the usual salaam, a sort of telegraphic conversation; the bird and our guns being the chief topic. The Turk had taken mine to examine, and appeared much pleased with it, particularly with the locks, when the Vulture renewed his attack upon the man. Requesting permission to end the business with my gun, he ordered his myrmidon to stand aside, and the bird immediately fell. His head was under him, and he bled profusely, and seemed, after being convulsed for a moment to be quite dead. It was shot from less than four yards distance, and the gun contained six small Turkish bullets; notwithstanding this, after we had finished our communications, which lasted some minutes, I saw him struggling again. He stood higher than a full-sized Turkey-cock, measured about ten feet from point to point of his wings, and his beak and talons were terrific.’

“Another instance of the same kind,” continued Uncle Thomas, occurred in South America to an English Miner, who boldly attacked a Condor, single handed. Seeing several of these animals congregated together, and guessing that they were attracted by some dead animal, he rode up to them and found a large flock gathered round the carcass of a Horse. One of the largest was standing with one foot on the ground and the other on the Horse’s body, exhibiting great muscular power as he tore off the flesh in large pieces; sometimes pushing with his leg, and sometimes shaking his head in his efforts to detach them. As the Miner approached, one of the Vultures, which seemed to be gorged, flew off to a distance, of about twenty yards; he rode up to it, and jumping from his horse seized the bird by the neck. It struggled violently, and the man declared he never had such a trial of strength in his life. He put his knee on its breast, and tried with all his might to twist its neck, but the Condor, objecting to this, fought valiantly; the man all the while in the greatest terror lest several of its companions, which were flying overhead, should alight and take part with their comrade. At length, however, he overcame it, and tearing out the pinion quills of its wing he brought them off in triumph leaving the bird as he thought dead, but another horseman, who happened to pass that way some time after, found it still alive and struggling.

“The tenacity of life of the Vulture is also shown by an adventure which occurred to a recent traveller in Asia Minor. The bird referred to was shot about nine o’clock in the morning, and at the time was washing itself in a stream after its hearty meal upon a dead Camel. ‘It was wounded on the head and neck, and dropped immediately, but, upon taking it up, its talons closed on the hand of my servant, making him cry out with pain. He placed it on the ground, and I stood with my whole weight upon its back, pressing the breast bone against the rock, when its eye gradually closed, its hold relaxed, and to all appearance life became extinct. It was then packed up in my leather hood, and strapped behind the saddle. The day was oppressively hot, for we trod upon our shadows as we rode across the plain. Until the evening at eleven o’clock the Vulture remained tightly bound behind the saddle; my servant, on unpacking, threw the bundle containing it into the tent, while he prepared water for cleaning and skinning it. Intending to examine this noble bird more carefully, I untied the package, and what was my surprise, to see it raise its head and fix its keen eye upon me! I immediately placed my feet upon its back, holding by the top of the tent, and leaning all my weight upon it, but with a desperate struggle it spread out its wings, which reached across the tent, and by beating them, attempted to throw me off. My shouts soon brought my servant, who at length killed it by repeated blows upon the head with the butt end of his gun.’”

“Is the Vulture like the Eagle?” asked Jane.

“It bears some resemblance to it,” said Uncle Thomas, “but it is far from possessing the same bold undaunted bearing. From its habits of feeding on carrion, its head if covered with feathers would soon become coated over with offensive matter, it, as well as the neck of the animal, has been left by nature in some species quite free from feathers, and in others very sparingly furnished. From its habits of foul feeding, it is at all times exceedingly disagreeable to approach them, their smell being extremely offensive. I have already told you how the Condor of South America feeds. A naturalist has recorded a dinner scene of the Black Vulture of the United States; they also were luxuriating on the carcass of a dead horse:—

“The ground, for a hundred yards beyond it, was black with Carrion Crows; many sat on the tops of sheds, fences, and houses within sight; sixty or eighty in the opposite side of a small run. I counted at one time two hundred and thirty-seven, but I believe there were more, besides several in the air over my head, and at a distance. I ventured cautiously within thirty yards of the carcass, where three or four Dogs, and twenty or thirty Vultures, were busily tearing and devouring. Seeing them take no notice, I ventured nearer, till I was within ten yards, and sat down on the bank. Still they paid little attention to me. The Dogs being sometimes accidentally flapped with the wings of the Vultures, would growl and snap at them, which would occasion them to spring up for a moment, but they immediately gathered in again. I remarked the Vultures frequently attack each other, fighting with their claws or heels, striking like a Cock, with open wings, and fixing their claws in each other’s heads. The females, and I believe the males likewise, made a hissing sound with open mouth, exactly resembling that produced by thrusting a red hot poker into water; and frequently a snuffing like a dog clearing his nostrils, as I suppose they were theirs. On observing that they did not heed me, I stole so close that my feet were within one yard of the Horse’s legs, and I again sat down. They all slid aloof a few feet; but seeing me quiet, they soon returned as before. As they were often disturbed by the Dogs, I ordered the latter home: my voice gave no alarm to the Vultures. As soon as the Dogs departed, the Vultures crowded in such numbers, that I counted at one time thirty-seven on and around the carcass, with several within; so that scarcely an inch of it was visible. Sometimes one would come out with a large piece of entrails, which in a moment was surrounded by several others, who tore it in fragments, and it soon disappeared. They kept up the hissing occasionally. Some of them having their whole legs and heads covered with blood, presented a most savage aspect. Still, as the dogs advanced, I would order them away, which seemed to gratify the Vultures; and one would pursue another, to within a foot or two of the spot where I was sitting. Sometimes I observed them stretching their necks along the ground, as if to press the food downwards.”

“It seems to be a very filthy creature, Uncle Thomas,” said Harry.

“Its habits are disgusting enough,” said Uncle Thomas, “when regarded merely as habits; but if we look upon them in the light of Providential appointments, they in a great measure cease to be so. That some of the species are not without the lofty bearing which we admire in the Eagle, is evident from the account which Bruce gives of one which resolutely attacked his retinue, and stole away their dinner from before their eyes. ‘Upon the highest top of the mountain Lamalmon, in Abyssinia, while my servants were refreshing themselves from the toilsome, rugged ascent, and enjoying the pleasure of a most delightful climate, eating their dinner in the outer air, with several large dishes of boiled goat’s flesh before them, this noble Bird suddenly appeared; he did not stoop rapidly from a height, but came flying slowly along the ground, and sat down close to the meat, within the ring the men had made round it. A great shout, or rather cry of distress, called me to the place. I saw the Vulture stand for a minute, as if to recollect himself; while the servants ran for their lances and shields. I walked up as nearly to him as I had time to do. His attention was fully fixed upon the flesh. I saw him put his foot into the pan, where was a large piece in water prepared for boiling; but finding the smart, which he had not expected, he withdrew it, and forsook the piece that he held.’

“There were two large pieces, a leg and a shoulder, lying upon a wooden platter; into these he thrust both his claws, and carried them off; but I thought he still looked wistfully at the large piece which remained in the warm water. Away he went slowly along the ground, as he had come. The face of the cliff over which criminals were thrown took him from our sight. The Mahometans that drove the Asses were much alarmed, and assured me of his return. My servants, on the other hand, very unwillingly expected him, and thought he had already more than his share.

“As I had myself a desire of more intimate acquaintance with him, I loaded a rifle-gun with ball and sat down close to the platter, by the meat. It was not many minutes before he came, and a prodigious shout was raised by my attendants, ‘He is coming! he is coming!’ enough to have dismayed a less courageous animal. Whether he was not quite so hungry as at his first visit, or suspected something from my appearance, I know not, but he made a short turn, and sat down about ten yards from me, the pan with the meat being between me and him. As the field was clear before me, and I did not know but his next move might bring him opposite to some of my people, so that he might actually get the rest of the meat, and make off, I shot him with the ball through the middle of the body, about two inches below the wings, so that he lay down upon the grass without a single flutter.”

This having exhausted Uncle Thomas’s Stories about the Vulture, and it being too late to enter upon another species, the little party bade him good night.