This is one of the most useful of bird families. But it is not very pleasant to meet, for the work it has to do makes it rather repulsive to us.

The vultures are scavengers. They dispose of vast quantities of carrion and other offensive matter. In doing this they make it possible for people to live in places where they could not live without the service of these birds.

The common vulture in the United States is the Turkey Vulture, or Turkey Buzzard. He is a large bird, with head and neck bare of feathers. In shape and size he is a good deal like a turkey. He is a familiar bird all over the country, except in New England and other northern parts, and is usually seen soaring about in the air, looking for food. Beautiful and graceful he looks away up against the sky. He sails around as if he weighed nothing, with wing feathers spread at the tip like fingers. But he is not so pretty when he comes to the ground, for he is very clumsy and awkward in getting about.

The turkey buzzard nests almost anywhere; he is not at all particular—on the ground, in a hollow stump, or tree. The young are comfortably dressed in white down, but they are not pretty. They are as awkward as their parents, and have a way of hanging their heads as if they were ashamed of themselves. That is not the reason, however; their work is something we could not do without. It is because they are too weak to hold themselves up.

I once saw a funny sight. A party of eighteen or twenty great buzzards had come to the ground to get their dinner. They were all very busily engaged just the other side of a fence, so that I could not see them at their feast.

Suddenly a mockingbird that I was watching flew over and alighted on the fence. He stood there a minute, looking sharply down at them, and flirting his tail in a saucy way. All at once, to my great surprise, he gave a loud cry and flung himself down right among the great birds.

I was frightened. I thought one peck from one of their strong beaks would kill the little fellow. But instead of that, the whole party of buzzards flew up in a panic, as if they were afraid of him. Then the mockingbird, who looked like a midget beside them, hopped back upon the fence, and burst into a loud song of victory. He knew the turkey buzzard better than I did. No one likes to get very near this bird, so very little is known about his ways.