Ch. VIII. SOUTH AMERICA. 4^7 



The condor is the largest bird in these parts of the 

 world ; its colour and appearance resemble those of 

 the galiriazos, and sometimes it soars from the highest 

 mou-n tains so as to be almost out of sight : and by its 

 being seldom seen in low places, a subtile air seems best 

 to agree with it; though some, which have been tamed 

 when young, live in the villages and plantations. 

 Like the galinazos, they are extremely carnivorous, 

 and are known frequently to seize and fly away with 

 lambs that feed on the heaths: of this I happened to 

 see an instance, in my way down from the signal of 

 Lalanguso toward the plantation of Pul, lying near 

 the bottom of those mountains. Observing, on ^ 

 hill adjoining to that where I v/as, a flock of sheep 

 in great confusion, I saw one of these condors flying 

 upwards from it with a lamb betM^ixt its claws; and, 

 when at some height, dropi>ed it; then, following it, 

 took it up, and let it fall a second time, when it wing- 

 ed its way out of sight, for fear of tlxe Indians, who, 

 at the cries of the boys and barkings of the dogs, wer^ 

 running towards the place. 



In some deserts this bird is common ; and as it preys 

 on the flocks, the Indians are not wanting in their 

 endeavours to catch them. One of the ways is, to 

 kill a cow, or other' beast, when of no further use, 

 and to rub the flesh with the juice of some potent 

 lierbs, which they afterwards carry away : for other- 

 wise the bird, sensible of them by natural instinct, 

 would not touch the flesh. Further, to take off the 

 smell, they bury tlie flesh till it becomes putrid, and 

 then expose it ; when the condors, allured by the 

 smell of the carcase, hasten and greedily feed on it, 

 till the herbs operate so as to render them quite sense- 

 less and incapable of motion : the Indians seize the 

 opportunity, and destroy them. They likewise catch 

 them with springes laid near some flesh: but such is 

 the force of this bird, that, with a stroke of its wing, 

 it sometimes knocks down the man who approaches 



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