CONDORS. 



635 



debris which the waves had thrown upon the shore, proving that 

 they can support variations of temperature which man would 

 be unable to bear; in fact, at a height of 19,000 feet the air 

 becomes so rarefied, and the cold so intense, that no human being 



Fig. 301. Condor ( I 'ultur gryphus, Linn.). 



would be able to exist for any length of time subject to their 

 influence. 



The Condor passes the night at great elevations, perched on th 

 cleft of a rock. As soon as the rising sun gilds the peaks of the 

 mountains it raises its neck, hitherto buried between its shoulders, 

 and shaking its wide wings, launches into space. The impetus 

 of its own weight at first carries it downwards, but soon recover- 



