Cassell's book of birds; vol. 1Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Science
Cassell's book of birds; vol. 1
Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Birds
Having procured the skin of a deer, M. Audubon stuffed it full of
hay, and after the whole had become perfectly dry and hard, he placed
it in the middle of an open field, laying it down on its back in the
attitude of a dead animal. In the course of a few minutes he perceived
a vulture flying towards and alighting near it. Quite unsuspicious of
the deception, the bird immediately proceeded to attack the carcase, as
usual, in the most vulnerable points. Failing in this, he next, with much
exertion, tore open the seams with which the skin had been stitched, and
appeared earnestly intent upon getting at the flesh which he expected to
find within, and of the absence of which not one of his senses was able
to inform him. Finding that his efforts, which were long reiterated, led
to no other result than the pulling out of sundry quantities of hay, he
at length, though with evident reluctance, gave up the attempt, and took
flight in pursuit of other game.
Another experiment, the converse of the preceding, was then tried:--A
large dead hog was concealed in a narrow and winding ravine, about twenty
feet deeper than the level of the ground around it, and filled with
briars and high cane. This was done in the month of July, in a tropical
climate, where putrefaction takes place with great rapidity; yet,
although many vultures were seen sailing in all directions over the spot
where the putrid carcase was lying covered only with twigs of cane and
light underwood, none of them appeared at all to suspect its presence.
Nevertheless, notwithstanding the apparently decisive result of the above
experiments, anatomy teaches us that the olfactory apparatus in this
class of animals is largely developed, and indicates by its extent that
it is well adapted to investigate the odorous properties of the air taken
in for respiration.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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