I have frequently laid down
beneath a bush after having shot an animal, to watch the arrival
of the various species of birds in regular succession; they
invariably appear in the following order:--
No. 1, the black and white crow: this knowing individual is most
industrious in seeking for his food, and is generally to be seen
either perched upon rocks or upon trees; I believe he trusts much
to his sense of smell, as he is never far from the ground, at the
same time he keeps a vigilant look-out with a very sharp pair of
eyes.
No. 2 is the common buzzard: this bird, so well known for its
extreme daring, is omnipresent, and trusts generally to sight, as
it will stoop at a piece of red cloth in mistake for flesh; thus
proving that it depends more upon vision than smell.
No. 3 is the red-faced small vulture.
No. 4 is the large bare-throated vulture.
No. 5, the Marabou stork, sometimes accompanied by the adjutant.
When employed in watching the habits of these birds, it is
interesting to make the experiment of concealing a dead animal
beneath a dense bush. This I have frequently done; in which case
the vultures never find it unless they have witnessed its death;
if so, they will already have pounced in their descent while you
have been engaged in concealing the body: they will then upon
near approach discover it by the smell. But, if an animal is
killed in thick grass, eight or ten feet high, the vultures will
seldom discover it. I have frequently known the bodies of large
animals, such as elephants and buffaloes, to lie for days beneath
the shade of the dense nabbuk bushes, unattended by a single
vulture; whereas, if visible, they would have been visited by
these birds in thousands.
Vultures and the Marabou stork fly at enormous altitudes. I
believe that every species keeps to its own particular elevation,
and that the atmosphere contains regular strata of birds of prey,
who, invisible to the human eye at their enormous height, are
constantly resting upon their wide-spread wings, and soaring in
circles, watching with telescopic sight the world beneath. At
that great elevation they are in an exceedingly cool temperature,
therefore they require no water; but some birds that make long
flights over arid deserts, such as the Marabou stork, and the
buzzard, are provided with water-sacks; the former in an external
bag a little below the throat, the latter in an internal sack,
both of which carry a large supply. As the birds of prey that I
have enumerated, invariably appear at a carcase in their regular
succession, I can only suggest that they travel from different
distances or altitudes.
