The Boy Hunters Part 26

Such was evidently the true explanation; for each of the new-comers was seen to attack the carca.s.s; and, after finding he could make nothing of it, fly off and settle quietly down on the rocks or trees.

As the boys watched them, however, some more eager than the rest effected an incision--at the spot where Basil's bullet had entered the body of the animal--and were rapidly widening it. The others, perceiving this, began to fly toward the spot; and, in less than five minutes, the tree was black with the filthy birds, until they crowded each other upon the branches. Several perched upon the limbs and horns of the animal itself, until there was not a s.p.a.ce left for another to stand upon. But their united weight, combined with that of the carca.s.s, was too much for the roots of the pine. A loud crash was heard, followed by the sharp rat-like squeaking of the vultures, as they flapped hurriedly away; and as the broken tree bent downwards, the body of the big-horn was precipitated to the earth, and fell upon the rocks below!

There was a great commotion among the a.s.sembled birds; and the sound of their broad wings, hurriedly beating the air, could have been heard for miles off; but their fright was soon over, and they all settled down again near the carrion.

The accident was in their favour rather than otherwise. The already decomposing body, by falling from such a vast height upon the sharp rocks, was mangled, and the skin burst open! This the foul birds were not slow in perceiving; and first one, and then another, flapped towards it, and commenced their horrid meal. In a few moments they were crowding over the body, hissing like geese, striking at each other with wings, beak, and claws, and altogether exhibiting such a scene of ravenous hunger and angry pa.s.sion as would be difficult to portray.

They soon got in among the entrails of the animal, and commenced dragging them forth. Sometimes two of them would seize a long string of these, and each swallowing from opposite ends, would meet each other in the middle of the piece. Then would be witnessed a singular scene, as the birds dragged one another over the ground, each trying to make the other disgorge his filthy morsel! The young hunters, amused by these curious episodes, agreed to remain and watch them for awhile; and with this intent they dismounted from their horses, so as to relieve the animals of their weight.

A new object of interest now presented itself to their attention.

Francois discovered it. Francois had been directing his eyes upward, watching the graceful motions of such of the vultures as were still in the air. All at once he was heard to exclaim,--

"A _white_ buzzard! a _white_ buzzard!"

Lucien and Basil saw that Francois pointed to the sky overhead. They raised their eyes in that direction. There, sure enough, was a _white bird_; but of what species neither of them could make out. It was flying at a vast elevation--higher, apparently, than any of the buzzards; but even at that great height it appeared larger than any of them. Like them, it seemed to sail about with great ease, as if the sky was its natural home.

When first observed, it appeared about as large as a gull; and the boys might have taken it for one--not knowing any other _white_ bird likely to be flying about at such a height--but as there were several buzzards near it, and evidently _below_ it, and as these looked no bigger than swallows, what must be its size? It was not only bigger than a buzzard, but, at least, three times the size of any one of them. Thus calculated Lucien, and his calculation was not far from the truth.

The strange bird then could be no gull. What was it? A swan? No. Its mode of flight answered that question at once. It bore no resemblance whatever to the short rapid flapping of the swan, nor to the flight of any water-bird. Was it a pelican? or perhaps a white ibis (_Tantalus alba_)? or the white egret heron (_Ardea egretta_)? No; it was none of these. The slow laborious flight of these great wading birds would have been at once recognised by any of the boys, who were accustomed to see them often hovering over the bayous of Louisiana. But this bird flew differently from any of these. It used its wings more after the manner of the buzzards themselves or the black vultures; but as the boys could think of no _white_ bird of similar flight, they were puzzled as to what it might be. Its size and mode of flying would have led them to believe it was an eagle; but its colour forbade this supposition. There were no white eagles, that ever they had heard of.

I have said that, when first seen by Francois, the strange bird appeared about the size of a gull; but as the young hunters stood gazing up at it, they saw that it was gradually becoming larger and larger. They knew from this that it was descending towards the earth, and, to all appearance, directly over the spot occupied by themselves and the vultures. As they had all three grown very curious to know what sort of a creature it might be, they were expressing their hopes that it would continue its descent. They knew that _it_ must have seen _them_ already; and it would, therefore, be useless for them to attempt concealing themselves. In fact, there was no cover for them, had they wished to do so.

As they stood watching and waiting, an exclamation, uttered by all three at the same moment, announced that _another white bird_ was in sight!

It was still high up, like a spot of snow upon the sky; but it, too, was making downward, in the track of the former, and appeared to be of the same species. This soon became evident; for the one last seen, descending more vertically, soon overtook the other; and both together continued to sail downward upon a spiral curve.

In a few moments they had arrived within two hundred yards of the earth; and now they circled slowly around, looking down as they flew.

They were directly over the spot occupied by the vultures; and as the day was one of the brightest, the boys had an opportunity of beholding two of the most beautiful birds they had ever seen. They were not entirely white--although, in looking at them from below, they appeared so; but as, in sailing round the circle, they sometimes held themselves sideways in the air, their backs at intervals could be seen distinctly.

It was then noticed that the upper part of their bodies was of a rich cream colour, while their wings above--both plumes and coverts--were of a glossy brown. Their tails were tipped with black; but the whole of the under part of their bodies was of a pure milk-like white. But the most singular appearance about these birds was presented on their heads and necks. These were entirely naked of feathers as far down as the shoulders--where the neck was encircled by a large ruff that looked like a tippet--and the naked skin of both head and neck exhibited the most brilliant colours of orange and red. These colours were not mixed nor mottled together; but each belonged to separate parts of the membrane, forming distinct and regular figures--according to the manner in which the cartilaginous covering is itself most singularly divided. Their beaks were orange-red; and over their bases grew crest-like protuberances, like the comb of a c.o.c.k. Their eyes had dark pupils and white irides, encircled by rings of a deep red colour; and, in short, the whole appearance of these beautiful creatures was such that, like the peac.o.c.k, when once seen, they could never be forgotten.

"I have never seen one of them before," remarked Lucien, "but I have no difficulty in telling what they are."

"What?" inquired Basil and Francois, impatiently.

"_King-vultures_."

As Lucien said this, the birds, that did not seem to regard the presence of the party, swooped suddenly down towards the carrion. The boys followed them with their eyes--curious to witness what effect their arrival would have upon the buzzards and black vultures. To the surprise of all, not one of the latter was now to be seen near the carca.s.s! While the attention of the party had been directed to the king-vultures, the others had been regarding them as well; and, knowing from experience what these great birds were, both buzzards and black vultures had scattered precipitately, and now sat upon the rocks at a respectful distance!

The king-vultures, without seeming to heed their presence, hopped up to the carrion, and commenced tearing it with their beaks. In a few minutes these creatures, that had appeared so clean and beautiful--for the king-vultures are as proud of their plumage as peac.o.c.ks, and usually keep it in the best order--exhibited a picture of filth that was disgusting to look upon. The brilliant hue of their heads and necks was changed into a dark blood colour; and their white b.r.e.a.s.t.s became dappled with gore. Their vulturous appet.i.tes rendered them regardless of all else.

"Shall we fire, and kill one?" asked Francois.

"No," said Lucien, "it is not right to deprive the poor creatures of life. If you wish to get a nearer view of them, have patience, and your wish may be gratified without the expenditure of powder and lead."

What Lucien said proved correct. At the end of half an hour or so, the birds appeared to have eaten as much as they could get into their stomachs; and commenced stalking over the ground with a heavy sluggish gait. The boys, who had waited patiently, now ran forward; and, finding that the vultures were unable to rise into the air, after a chase--in which Marengo took a prominent part--secured them both.

But they did not hold them long; for the moment that Francois, who was the most eager to seize them, laid his hands upon one, he let it go again with an exclamation of disgust; and ran faster from the vulture, than the latter could run from him!

The fetid odour of the creatures--which was quite as strong as that of the carrion itself--was too much for the olfactory nerves of our heroes; and they were all three glad enough to let the king-vultures off without a second encounter.

As they returned to their horses, they observed that the buzzards and black vultures were once more collecting about the remains of the big-horn. They had been joined by several prairie-wolves; and these were snarling and snapping--now driving off the birds, and now receiving a blow from the long wings of the latter, that caused them to growl more fiercely than ever. Our adventurers did not wait for the _finale_ of this hideous scene; but remounting, once more headed their horses to the prairie.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

MORE TALK ABOUT THE VULTURES.

They conversed about the vultures, as they rode away from the b.u.t.te.

The naturalist of the party had much to say of these picturesque birds; and the curiosity of Basil and Francois had been excited by the appearance of a species new to them--the king himself.

"With regard to the vultures," observed Lucien, "the study of their natural history has been considerably impeded by the closet-naturalists, and particularly by the Frenchmen--who are fonder than all others of making a parade of science, by the absurd multiplication of genera and species. This, in the absence of any real knowledge of the habits of the animals, gives them an opportunity of adding something to what has been already said; and leaves the reader under the impression that these learned anatomists know all about the thing; and that is what such gentlemen desire, and nothing more.

"There are not over two dozen species of vultures in the world; and yet the French naturalists make almost as many genera of them, multiplying high-sounding names to such an extent, that the mind of the student is quite bewildered with what would otherwise prove a most simple study.

"All the vultures are so similar in their _physiognomy_ and habits, that they might be treated as one genus. Indeed, it would not lead to great confusion in ornithological science, if they were generically cla.s.sed with the eagles--as both kinds have many points of similitude. The vultures often kill their prey as eagles do; and it is certain that they do _not_ prefer it in a putrid state. The eagles do not always kill their prey, and many of them eat carrion. Some of the vultures--such as the lammergeyer--have almost all the habits of the eagle. The lammergeyer always kills what he eats, unless when pressed by hunger; and there is a singular fact in relation to the food of this bird,--he prefers certain parts of the bones of animals to their flesh!"

It is somewhat strange that the boy hunter, Lucien, should have known this "fact," as I believe it is not in possession of the naturalists.

I, myself, was made acquainted with it by one of the "feeders" of the superb collection in Regent's Park--who had observed this propensity for bone-eating in a young African lammergeyer. He had observed also that the bird was always healthier, and in better spirits, on the days when he was indulged in his favourite osseous diet. These men usually know more of natural history than the catalogue-makers and teeth-measurers of the museum and the closet.

"Perhaps," continued Lucien, "one of the most essential points of difference between the vulture and eagle lies in the claws. The claws of the vultures are less developed, and their limbs want the muscular power that those of eagles possess. Hence the former are less able to kill a living animal, or tear the carca.s.s of a dead one. They are unable, also, to raise a large prey in their claws; and the stories of vultures carrying off deer, and full-grown sheep, are mere fables. Even the condor--the largest of the species known--cannot lift into the air a weight of more than ten pounds. A deer of that weight would be rather a small one, I fancy. Most of the wonderful stories about the condor were propagated by the discoverers and conquerors of Spanish America; who, if they were great conquerors, were also the greatest braggarts the world ever saw. The books they have left behind them fully prove my a.s.sertion; and I believe that their accounts of the Mexican and Peruvian nations, whom they subdued, are not a whit less exaggerated than their stories about the condor. Three centuries could not have so completely swept away the vestiges of such a civilisation as they describe--leaving scarcely a trace of it to attest the truth of their a.s.sertions. It is true, that in these countries are to be found monuments of a high state of civilisation; but these were in ruins long previous to the discovery of the Spaniards; and the feeble races who submitted so easily to the latter, knew no more about the builders of these monuments than we do.

The same vestiges of a civilised people are found in the deserts of North America; and yet the Spanish writers can tell nothing of them, farther than that they existed at the period of the discovery just as they are now."

"How many kinds of vultures are there in America?" inquired Francois, whose mind ran more upon the present than the past; and who, as we have already hinted, was a great boy for birds.

"There are five species well-known," replied Lucien; "and these are so different from each other that there is no difficulty in distinguishing them. These species form two genera--_Sarco ramphus_ and _Cathartes_.

The _Sarcoramphs_ have a fleshy protuberance over the beak--hence the generic name, which is a compound of two Greek words, signifying _flesh_, and _beak_ or _bill_. The _Cathartes_, or `purging-vultures,'

derive their name from a singular habit--that of throwing up their food again, not only when feeding their young, but also when providing for one another during the period of incubation.

"The condor is a true _Sarcoramph_--in fact, one of the most marked features of this bird is the fleshy cartilaginous crest that surmounts his head and part of his beak. This, however, is only found upon the males, as the female birds are not crested in a similar manner. The condor, when in full plumage, might be called a black-and-white bird.

His body underneath, his tail, shoulders, and the b.u.t.ts as well as the outer margins of his wings, are all of a dark, nearly black, colour; but his wings, when closed, give him a large s.p.a.ce of greyish white from the back to the tail. The downy ruff around the breast and neck is milk-white, and the naked wrinkled skin of the neck and head is of a blackish red or claret colour, while the legs are ashy blue. It is only when full-grown--nearly three years old--that the condor obtains these colours; and up to that time he is without the white collar around his neck. The young birds, for many months after they are hatched, have no feathers, but a soft thick down, like young goslings or cygnets; and even at two years of age their colour is not black and white, but a dirty, brownish black.

"The full-grown condor usually measures about eight feet from tip to tip of his wings; but there can be no question that specimens exist, and have been seen by truthful travellers, that measured fourteen feet and some inches!

"The condor, like other vultures, feeds princ.i.p.ally upon carrion; but, when pressed with hunger, he will kill sheep, lambs, vicunas, young lamas, deer, and other animals. The larger kinds he can master, by attacking their eyes with his powerful beak--which is his princ.i.p.al weapon. That he can kill boys of sixteen years old, as Garcilaso de la Vega a.s.serts, is, like many other statements of that celebrated author, simply untrue; but that he frequently attacks, and, according to the Indians, sometimes _puts to death_ little children, is probable enough.

If he can kill full-grown sheep or vicunas, there is nothing remarkable about his doing the same for a child five or six years of age; and, indeed, it is certain that such instances have occurred.

"Almost any eagles can do as much, and would, provided they were hungry, and children were left exposed in the neighbourhood of their haunts.

The condor, however, is one of the most ravenous of his species. One in a state of captivity has been known to eat eighteen pounds of flesh in a single day! But that this bird can raise into the air with his claws, and carry off large animals, such as deer and sheep, as a.s.serted by Acosta, Desmarchais, and other French and Spanish writers, is altogether fabulous.

"The condor, unlike the vultures of most countries, is not under the protection of the law. His destructive habits among the lambs, and young lamas and alpacas, render him an object to be persecuted rather than protected. He is, therefore, either killed or captured, whenever an opportunity offers. There can be but little use made either of his flesh or his feathers; but as he is an object of curiosity, he is often kept as a pet about the houses of the Chilians and Peruvians. Live ones are frequently to be seen in the markets of Valparaiso, and other South American cities.

"The natives who hunt the condor have various ways of capturing him.

Sometimes they lie in wait near a carca.s.s, and shoot the bird when it alights; but it is very difficult to kill them in this way, on account of their strong thick feathers, as well as the tenacity of life which they possess: it can only be done when the shot takes effect in a vital part. This method, therefore, is not much practised. A second plan is, to wait until the condor has gorged himself to repletion, when, like most other vultures, he is unable to fly for some time after. The hunters then gallop up, and la.s.so him from their horses; or impede his flight by flinging the `bolas' around his legs. The `bolas' are thongs of leather, with leaden b.a.l.l.s at each end; and these, when adroitly thrown, twine themselves round the shanks of the condor, and prevent his escape. A third mode is still a surer one. The hunters build a large penn, in which they place a quant.i.ty of carrion. The palisades that inclose this penn are made so high, that, when the bird has gorged himself, he is unable either to rise into the air or get out of the enclosure in any way; and he is then overtaken and captured, or beaten to death with clubs.

"The Indians kill the condor by stones, projected from slings to a great distance--a species of weapon which these people use with much dexterity.

"Condors are taken alive in traps and snares; but there is an excellent and somewhat curious method of capturing them alive, sometimes employed by the Indians of the Sierras. It is this:--The hunter provides himself with the skin of some animal, such as an ox or horse, freshly taken off, and with a piece of the flesh adhering to it. With this he proceeds to some open place, where the condors, wheeling high in the air above, may readily see him. Having chosen a spot, he crouches down upon the ground, and draws the skin over him, with the fleshy side turned upward.

In this situation he remains; but not long, until some one of the condors, with his far-piercing glance, espies the ensanguined object, and comes swooping downward. The bird, having no suspicion, hops boldly upon the hide; and commences tearing at the piece of flesh. The hunter, underneath, now cautiously feels for one of its legs; and having a.s.sured himself of this, grasps it firmly, folding the foot of the bird in the soft loose flaps of the hide. Having already provided himself with a long rope, he adroitly nooses it around the ankle; and, taking the other end in his hand, he now appears from under the skin, and shows himself to his astonished captive. Of course, during the operation of `tethering,' the condor flaps and struggles with all his might; and were it not for the hide which protects the hunter, the latter would be very apt to come off with the loss of an eye, or be otherwise dreadfully torn by the powerful beak of the bird. When the hunter has fairly secured his prize, he pa.s.ses a leathern thong through its nostrils, and knotting it firmly, leads the condor off in triumph. In this same manner the bird is kept chained, so long as he is wanted. With the string through his nostrils, and fastened by the other end to a picket-pin in the ground, the captive can walk about freely within the area of a circle.