60 A HISTORY OF 



manner of flying, that it was wounded ; and it was with a good deal 

 of difficulty that it flew to another rock, about five hundred yaras 

 distant, on the sea-shore. I therefore charged again with bail, and hit 

 the bird under the throat, which made it mine. I accordingly ran up 

 to seize it ; but even in death it was terrible, and defended itself upon 

 its back, with its claws extended against me, so that I scarce knew 

 how to lay hold of it. Had it not been mortally wounded, I should 

 have found it no easy matter to take it'; but I at last dragged it down 

 from the rock, and with the assistance of one of the seamen, I carried 

 it to my tent, to make a coloured drawing. 



" The wings of this bird, which I measured very exactly, were 

 twelve feet three inches (English) from'tip to tip. The great feathers, 

 that were of a beautiful shining black, were two feet four inches long. 

 The thickness of the beak was proportionable to the rest of the body ; 

 the length* about four inches, the point hooked downwards, and white 

 at its extremity ; and the other part was of a jet black. A short 

 down, of a brown colour, covered the head ; the eyes were black, and 

 surrounded with a circle of reddish brown. The feathers on the 

 breast, neck, and wings, were of a light brown ; those on the back 

 were rather darker. Its thighs were covered with brown feathers to 

 the knee. The thigh bone was ten inches long ; the leg five inches ; 

 the toes were three before, and one behind : that behind was an inch 

 and a half, and the claw with which it was armed was black, and 

 three quarters of an inch. The other claws were in the same propor- 

 tion ; and the legs were covered with black scales, as also the toes ; 

 but in these the scales were larger. 



" These birds usually keep in toe mountains, where they find their 

 prey. They never descend to the sea-shore but in the rainy season ; 

 for, as they are very sensible of cold, they go there for greater warmth. 

 Though these mountains are situated in the torrid zone, the cold is 

 often very severe ; for a great part of the year they are covered with 

 snow, but particular!} in winter. 



u The little nourishment which these birds find on the sea-coast, 

 except when the tempests drive in some great fish, obliges the condor 

 to continue there but a short time. They usually come to the coast 

 at the approach of evening ; stay there all night, and fly back in the 

 morning." 



It is doubted whether this animal be proper to America only, or 

 whether it may not have been described by the naturalists of other 

 countries. It is supposed that the great bird called the Rock, descri- 

 bed by Arabian writers, and so much exaggerated by fable, is but a 

 species of the condor. The great bird of Tarnassar, in the East-In- 

 dies, that is larger than the eagle, as well as the vulture of Senegal, 

 that carries off children, are probably no other than the bird we have 

 been describing. Russia, Lapland, and even Switzerland and Ger- 

 many, are said to have known this animal. A bird of this kind was 

 shot in France, that weighed eighteen pounds, and was said to be eigh- 

 teen feet across the wings ; however, one of the quills was described 

 only as being larger than that of a swan ; so that probably the breadth 

 of the wings may have been exaggerated, since a bird so large would 

 nave the quills more than twice as big as those of a swan. Howevci 



