24 SEPTEMBER 1892, Page 16

VULTURES.

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.") SIR,—There can be little doubt that your correspondent, Mr. Bruce, is correct in drawing the inference from the facts he relates, that vultures are guided by sight, rather • than by a sense of smell, in their search for prey. I came to a similar conclusion when I had an opportunity of observing the habits of these birds in Arabia Petra3a, in 1883. In the month of December in that year, as our party were ascending the gorge which leads to Petra from the Wady-el-Arabah, one of our camels suddenly dropped down dead. This was in the evening, and we returned to our camp without succeeding in our object that day. But early next morning we started again for Petra, and on reaching the carcase of the dead camel in the early dawn, we found about a dozen vultures congregated around it, some of which had already gorged themselves, and were almost unable to fly. Now, when the camel dropped down, none of these birds were in sight; but here next morning, while the carcase was quite fresh, they had swooped down on their prey. There could have been no smell of carrion from this carcase; but it might easily have been within sight of a bird soaring at an elevation which would have rendered it invisible to a traveller; at the same time, an animal of the size of a camel lying motionless on the ground would have been easily visible to a vulture while out of sight.

In order to account for the assembling of a group of vul- tures in so short a time as is here indicated, while none of these birds were apparently within sight, we may suppose that the birds spread themselves at wide intervals throughout an extensive district and at a high altitude ; each bird soars about, keeping a steady gaze on the ground for the carcase of some animal—at the same time being within sight of his fellows. As soon as prey is sighted by one of the group, he swoops down towards it, and this action is a signal to the other birds that a meal is to be had where the bird descended, and they all flock down accordingly. " Wheresoever the car- case is, there will the eagles (vultures) be gathered together." —I am, Sir, &c.,

Constitutional Club, September 21st. EDWARD HULL.