1834.] THE CONDOR. 



shores of the Pacific, and at night several roost together in one 

 tree ; but in the early part of summer, they retire to the most in- 

 accessible parts of the inner Cordillera, there to breed in peace. 



With respect to their propagation, I was told by the country 

 people in Chile, that the condor makes no sort, of nest, but in 

 the months of November and December lays two large white 

 eggs on a shelf of bare rock. It is said that the young condors 

 cannot fly for an entire year ; and long after they are able, they 

 continue to roost by night, and hunt by day with their parents. 

 The old birds generally live in pairs ; but among the inland ba- 

 saltic cliffs of the Santa Cruz, I found a spot, where scores must 

 usually haunt. On coming suddenly to the brow of the preci- 

 pice, it was a grand spectacle to see between twenty and thirty 

 of these great birds start heavily from their resting-place, and 

 wheel away in majestic circles. From the quantity of dung on 

 the rocks, they must long have frequented this cliff for roosting 

 and breeding. Having gorged themselves with carrion on the 

 plains below, they retire to these favourite ledges to digest their 

 food. From these facts, the condor, like the gallinazo, must to 

 a certain degree be considered as a gregarious bird. In this 

 part of the country they live altogether on the guanacos which 

 have died a natural death, or, as more commonly happens, have 

 been killed by the pumas. I believe, from what I saw in Patagonia, 

 that they do not on ordinary occasions extend their daily excur- 

 sions to any great distance from their regular sleeping-places. 



The condors may oftentimes be seen at a great height, soaring 

 over a certain spot in the most graceful circles. On some occa- 

 sions I am sure that they do this only for pleasure, but on others, 

 the Chileno countryman tells you that they are watching a dying 

 animal, or the puma devouring its prey. If the condors glide 

 down, and then suddenly all rise together, the Chileno knows 

 that it is the puma which, watching the carcass, has sprung out 

 to drive away the robbers. Besides feeding on carrion, the con- 

 dors frequently attack young goats and lambs ; and the shep- 

 nerd dogs are trained, whenever they pass over, to run out, and 

 looking upwards to bark violently. The Chilenos destroy and 

 catch numbers. Two methods are used ; one is to place a car- 

 cass on a level piece of ground within an enclosure of sticks with 

 an opening, and when the condors are gorged, to gallop up OD 



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