IW 





ni 



and was aa*uiwi by many credible inhabitant* of the province of Quito 

 iMMMVtedMMrlMMWtiMAMMHrtdBHnthMinlMk The 

 Invlh of male T^" eomnrhai less than V fed in expanse, was 



* feet a JTiiV- ftwn UM Up of the beak to the extremity of the tail ; 

 aad rt. height. *hn perching, with Ik* neek partly withdrawn, 2 foot 



inches. I to beak wa S{ Inohe* in length, and an inch and a quarter 

 ia depth when cia*ed. 



"Th7 bk of Ik* ooodor U straight at UM hue, but the upper 

 oome* arched toward* the point, and terminate* in a 

 ll-curved hook. The bawl half U of an ash brown, and 



portion toward* UM point i* nearly white. The head 



al neck are bare of feather*, and covered with a hard, wrinkled, 

 rolduh akin, on which are Mattered aoma abort brown or 



h|afc*A bain. On UM top of UM head, which U much flattened 

 above and extending OHM di*tano* along tbe beak, U attached an 

 Ana caruncle or comb, covered by a continuation of the akin 

 invert* UM bead. Thi orgmn i* peculiar to the male. It is 



I to the beak only in its anterior part, and i* separated from 



-he base in such a manner a* to allow of a free passage of the" 

 air to the large oval nostrils which are situated beneath it at that 

 pert Behind the eye*, which are eomewhat elongated and not sunk 

 Vmrilh the general surface of tbe head, the skin of the neck is, as it 

 p. gathered into a aerie* of denceu.lm,- fold-, extending obliquely 

 i the beck of tbe head over the temples to tbe under side of the 

 there connected anteriorly with a lax membrane or wattle, 

 ~p-tJ. of M"f; dilated at pleasure", like that of the common turkey. 

 Th* neck i* marked by numerous deep parallel folds, produced by 

 th* habit of retracting the head, in which tbe bird indulges when at 

 ML la this position scarcely any part of tbe neck is visible. 



~ Roond the lower part of the neck both sexes, the female as well 

 a* the male, are famished with a broad white ruff of downy feathers, 

 which form* the line of separation between the naked skin above and 

 the true feather* covering the body below it All the other feathers, 

 with the exemption of the wing-coverts and tbe secondary quill-feathers, 

 are of a bright black, generally mingled with a grayish tinge of greater 

 or leas intensity. In the female the wing-coverts an blackiiui gray ; 

 bat the males have their poiuU, and frequently as much a* half their 

 l*agth. white. The wings of the Utter are consequently distinguished 

 from tboee of the female by their Urge white patches. The secondary 

 quill feathers of both sexes are white on the outer side. The tail is 

 eh ort and wedgtahapsd The leg* are excessively thick and powerful, 

 aad are coloured of a bluiah-gray, intermingled with whitish streak*. 

 Their elongated toes are united at the base by a loose but very appa- 

 rent membrane, and are terminated by long black talons of considerable 

 Iliiiinses. but very little curved. The binder toe is much shorter 

 than the rat, and it* talon, although more distinctly curved, is equally 

 wanting in strength ; a deficiency which renders the foot much less 

 powerful a* an organ of prehension than that of any other of the large 

 birds of the raptorial order." 



This bird U found in the Andes, and the greater part of tbe vast 

 mountain chain which run* up South America to 7 N. lat, but most 

 "~"~ in Peru and Chili. 



The Condor i* found most frequently at an elevation of from 10,000 

 to 15,000 feet above the Uvel of the sea, and there they are to beseen 

 ia groups of three or four, but never in Urge companies, like the true 

 Many of the clusters of rock* and of the elevated pUteaux 

 I after them Cuntur Kahua, Cuntur Palti, and Cuntur Him- 

 , for example name* which, in the language of the Incus, are said 



mple nat 



to *ignifv the Condor'* Look-out,* tbe Condor's Boost, and the Condor's 

 Ne*t In tbi* rarefied atmosphere tbe bird breathes freely, and 

 rraurt* to the plains only when impelled by hunger. Then two of 

 them will attack the vicuna, the guanaco, the heifer, and even the 

 puma, the lion of South America, persecuting the tormented quad- 

 raped till overpowered it fall* beneath the wound* inflicted by their 

 claws aad beaks, groaning and protruding it* tongue. Upon this and 

 UK- rye*, their favourite morsel*, the Condor* instantly seize, and the 

 bloody banquet U continued till they are quite gorged. Humboldt 

 aw them after such repeat* putting sullen and sombre on the rock* ; 

 and when thus overloaded, they will suffer themselves to be driven 

 before UM hunter rather than take wing. But he ha* also Men them, 

 when on the look-oat for prey, and especially on serene days, soaring 

 at a prodigious height, a* if for tbe purpose of commanding the most 

 extensive view. " Cert I'oiseau," rays Cuvier, (peaking of the Condor, 

 " qui *' flev* le plu* hut" With regard to the stories of their carry- 

 ing off cbildrm. Humboldt never heard of an instance, although the 

 iafanU of the Indian* who gather mow for nale are frequently 1. it 

 iliHiiag in th* oprn air in tbe midet of tbe haunt* of these bird*. 

 -* pproechc.l within a few feet of three or four of them as 

 they cat on th* rocks, but thry never manifested any disposition to 

 Mack him : and the Indians of Quite assured him that men have 

 nothing to fear from Condon : he admit* indeed that two of these 

 vuliiim would be rti genius antagonist* for a single man to cope 

 Kb. aad SirKranci* Head describe, a severe struggle between one of 

 them and a Corm* miner, with hi* usual graphic power. When 



, 



UM bird descends int.. Uw plain*, it rarely 

 the croud, for (Undine and walking on 

 claws are better Mftpird. 



1 that the , which an white, and three or 



on tree*, preferring 

 Its toe* and straight 



four inches in length, are deposited on the bare rock without any 

 ..f straw or oUier defence. The young ones are said to n-iiuiiii 

 with the female during one year. The nestlings have no fent : 

 their bodies for some months are covered with a very fine curling 

 whitish down or hair, something like that of young owls ; and 

 are so puffed out by this envelope, that they look almost larger than 

 adults. At the age of two years the Condor is not yet black, but of 

 a yellowish-brown ; up to this time the female has no appearance of 

 the white ruff (golitla of tbe Spaniards), and it is owing to want of 

 observation on this change of plumage that many naturalists and 

 travellers nay, the inhabitants of 1'eni themselves talk of two 

 species of Condor, the black and the brown (Condor negro y Condor 

 pardo). Thus Lieutenant Maw, in the sequel to the passage above 

 quoted, says, " There were two kinds of Condors ; one dark-brown, 

 the other white on the back, with half the upper side of tbe wings 

 next the back, and a white ring round the neck." 



At Peru, Quito, and in the province of Pnpayne, Condors are taken 

 alive with the buwo. To this end a cow or a horse is killed. Down 

 come the Condors, and are permitted to gorge themselves. Then the 

 Indians, with their husoes, appear on the scene, and soon capture 

 them. When one of the birds finds itself hampered, it makes 

 incredible efforts to raise itself ill the air, and succeeds, after vomiting 

 freely. The Spaniards call this sport ' correr Buitres,' and it is, next 

 to tbe bull-feasts, the great amusement of the country people. In 

 other countries it is said that poisonous herbs are placed in the belly 

 of the quadruped that serves as a bait, and then the Condors appi -;ir 

 as if intoxicated after their meal. 



The tenacity of life exhibited by the Condor almost rivals the 

 endurance of the Grisly Bear. [BEAR.] Humboldt relates that at 

 Kiolnmbn he saw some Indians first strangle one with a lasso ami 

 hang it on a tree, pulling it forcibly by the feet for some miimt<-.x. 

 The lasso was hardly removed when the Condor arose, and walked 

 about as if nothing extraordinary had happened. At leas than four 

 paces, three balls were then discharged from a pistol at it, all of \\lii. li 

 entered its body, wounding it in the neck, chest, and abdomen : the 

 bird still kept ita legs. Another ball broke its thigh, and brought it 

 to the ground ; but the wretched creature did not die till after an 

 interval of half an hour. I'lloa asserts that in the colder p;irtn of 

 Peru .the skin of the Condor is so closely covered with feathers, that 

 eight or teu b;ills may be heard to strike it without penetrating it* 

 body. 



This celebrated vulture, I'uWicr Grypkut of Linnaeus, Ofpagu$ 

 Qryffuf of Vieillot. Xarcwaiaiihtu Grypltw of Dumeril, is said to 

 possess a most exquisite sense of smelling. It may be doubted bow- 

 ever whether, as in other vultures, the eye is no', at least as pr. 

 assistant to the bird in discovering its prey as the nostrils arc. [ Hi 11 1 >-. | 

 Lieutenant Maw saw the Condor's quill used as a pen in the Cordillera 

 (Toulea). 



The Condor (Sarcoramiiktu (iryplmt, malt). 



The Zoological Soeii ty of London have now made this bird, of 

 which sin-li romantic tales were told and credited, familiar to tbe 

 whole population of the metropolis. It is a striking contrast to rise 

 from tin. perusal of one of these marvellous stories, and look at the 

 liviiii; bird in tlm Id-gent's Park. 



: UK.] 



