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 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 the 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 *."

These appear to be the same birds described by Acosta, under the name of Poullazes, which, as he tells us, "have a surprising agility and a piercing eye, and are very useful for clearing cities, not suffering the least vestige of carrion or putrid matter to remain. They spend the night upon trees and rocks, and resort to the towns in the morning, perching upon the tops of the highest buildings, whence they look out for their plundert." We shall only add to these accounts that of M. Desmarchais, who strangely supposes the C. aura to be a sort of turkey, that, instead of living upon grain, had become accustomed to feed on carrion. "These birds," he adds, + Quoted by Buffon,

*Amer. Ornith. ix. 107,

"follow the hunters, especially those whose object is only to procure the skins; these people neglect the carcasses, which would rot on the spot, and infect the air, but for the assistance of these birds, which no sooner perceive a flayed body, than they call to each other and pour upon it like vultures, and in an instant devour the flesh, and leave the bones as clear as if they had been scraped with a knife. The Spaniards, who are settled upon the large islands, and upon the continent, as well as the Portuguese, who inhabit those tracts where they traffic in hides, receive great benefit from these birds, by their devouring the dead bodies and preventing infection; and therefore they impose a fine upon those who destroy them. This protection has extremely multiplied this disgusting kind of turkey*"

But it may be remarked, that in all the accounts given of these gregarious vultures, nothing is said of their appointing a sentinel like the mountain-sheep, or like several species of birds to which we shall presently attend. For this, however, there is the obvious reason, that the vultures have no formidable enemies, being protected by man to serve his convenience, besides that, like the mole, they seem to be too disgusting to be preyed upon by any animal. The colonists, indeed, have tried every device to render the flesh palatable; but though they have cut off the rump and extracted the entrails, the instant the birds have been killed they still retain an insupportable odour of carrion which nothing can remove†. This is not all; for they have also a singular manner of defending themselves if they happen to be attacked. "A man in the State of Delaware," says Mr. Ord, 66 a few years since, observing some Turkey buzzards regaling themselves upon the carcass of a horse, which was in a highly putrid state, conceived the * Quoted by Buffon. Desmarchais, as above.

are thrown so far back that it stands almost upright, it has more the air of a small kangaroo, than of a bird. They have this character in common with all the true diving birds.

The Puffin (Fratercula Arctica, BRISSON). Length about twelve inches.

In the breeding season, numerous troops of them visit several places on our coasts, particularly the small island of Priestholm, near Anglesey, which might well be called puffin land, as the whole surface appears literally covered with them. Soon after their arrival in May, they prepare for breeding, and it is said, the male, contrary to the usual economy of birds, undertakes the hardest part of the labour. He be

and are more commonly observed in foraging parties of from two to half-a-dozen, subsisting in the more open streets on what they can find on the pavements, and particularly haunting stables, to pick up oats and grass-seeds shaken from hay. We have watched by the hour the devices of these sparrows to avoid being surprised by boys or by cats. When they discover a scattering of oats, they seldom fly directly to the spot, but take several turns around it as if to ascertain the safest point of approach. If it is near the wall they will cling, with their backs downwards, to rough projections of the mortar, or to an accidental crevice between the bricks, looking round the while with the utmost caution; and thus will they descend the wall, by little and little, till within a few feet of their wished-for prize, upon which they will pounce down, one or more at a time, and carry off a mouthful to the nearest roof where they can eat it in leisure and safety. But what we particularly wish to call attention to is, that though each individual of a party manifests such extraordinary caution, they have usually the farther safeguard of a sentinel stationed on some adjacent projection of a roof-lead or a window, who fails not to announce to his companions below the approach of every passenger, and particularly of every cat that endeavours to steal upon them unawares*.

From all we have been able to observe, there does not seem to be anything like an election or appointment of such sentinels. The fact appears rather to be, that, probably from being less impelled by the calls of hunger, the bird of the flock who chances to be the last in venturing to alight, feels then reluctant to join his companions in consequence of an instinctive foresight that they might all be thence exposed to

* J. R.

danger. We only offer this, however, as a plausible conjecture, which appears more applicable to the case of sparrows than to that of some other gregarious birds. Were we disposed, indeed, to indulge in the fancies sometimes found in books of natural history, we might give the sparrows credit not only for appointing sentinels, but for trying them for neglect of duty by a regular court-martial.

Sparrow-courts, or assemblies of sparrows for some common object regarding one of their community, are of frequent occurrence; and in truth they can scarcely escape the observation of any one who attends to the habits of animals. The birds usually select a spot somewhat remote from their usual haunts, such as the centre of a copse or the edge of a wood, where they may be seen crowding closely around one of this number, and scolding him in all the terms of their vocabulary. Whether they proceed from verbal reproof, however, to corporal chastisement, we have never ascertained, for they are so jealous, on such occasions, of intruders, that they immediately stay process and break up their court, should a prying naturalist venture within the precincts. Descriptions precisely analogous have been given by different authors of assemblies of rooks, or crow-courts, as they are called. In the latter, however, if we may believe what is reported, there is a regular trial of a delinquent, who, upon being found guilty, receives a severe drubbing from the whole court, and is even sometimes killed outright*.

Pliny reports something similar to this as occurring among storks. "There is a place," he says, "in the open plains and champaign country of Asia Pithonas-Come, where (by report) they assemble altogether, and, being met, keep up a jangling one with another; but, in the end, look which of them *Landt, Description of the Feroe Isles.

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