CALirORNIA COX DOR 5 



On April 25, they found the old bird sound asleep in the nest, 

 brooding the nestling; after she left the youngster showed fight. 



The young condor was growing steadily, for he was now thirty-five days old 

 and as large as a good-sized chicken [see pi. 3]. His whole body was covered 

 with dark gray down with the outer edgings of lighter gray. When I put 

 down my elbow, he lunged forward and struck it such a hard blow with his 

 bill that it would have drawn blood had he hit my bare hand. The minute 

 I api>eared, his neck puffed out with wind and his v>hole crop filled till it felt 

 just like a rubber ball. He seemed to use his crop as a supply tank for air, 

 which he blew out slowly thru his nose to express his anger. He sat with his 

 head down and mouth open. The front part of his tongue was round and it 

 folded over from each side and met in a little crease down the front. About 

 an inch back, it looked as if it were partly cut in two, for it was narrower 

 and flatter. Such a breath as that youngster had ! I could not describe it, 

 and I tried to forget it as soon as possible. 



That evening we watched the old condor to see if she would go back to the 

 nest. But at six o'clock she settled down on her perch with her head drawn 

 in, and went to sleep. The young condor had to sleep alone. 



Of the later development of the young condor Mr. Finley (1908) 

 says: "The young condor was now fifty-four days old, but he was 

 still clothed in gray down [see pi. 4]. It was over two months 

 before the first black feathers began to show on his wings, and they 

 developed very slowly; for by the first week in July when we had 

 expected to complete our series, the young bird was not half 

 feathered out, altho he was three months and a half old and weighed 

 over fifteen pounds." 



By July 6 the young condor was about two-thirds grown and was 

 transported to Mr. Finley's home in Oregon. He was fed twice a 

 day with about a poimd of raw meat and given plenty of water. 

 He showed a decided preference for fresh beef and would reject 

 anything else, unless forced by hunger; he especially disliked any 

 stale or tainted meat. He made a most interesting pet and was very 

 tame, aft'ectionate, and playful. By the middle of August he "was 

 well fledged except that his breast was still covered with gray down. 

 By another month this was replaced by brown feathers. With wings 

 extended, he measured over eight feet. He weighed twenty and a 

 half pounds and was forty-six inches in length. The wing feathers 

 were strong, but they could not yet support his heavy body, for as 

 yet he could fly but a few yards." (PI. 4.) 



On Sei^tember 29, 1906, General, as he was named, went to New 

 York to take up permanent quarters in the New York Zoological 

 Park. His former master was not forgotten, however, for jNIr. 

 Finley (1910) writes: 



During the month of December, 1906, while I was in New York, I went out 

 to see General and was allowed to enter the cage with him. The minute I 

 got near enough, he began nibbling my buttons and putting his head under 

 my arm. 



