THE COXDOR. 235 



able, they continue to roost by nif^ht, and hunt hj 

 clay with their parents. The old birds generally 

 live in pairs ; but among the inland basaltic cliffs 

 of the Santa Cruz, I found a spot where scores 

 must usually haunt. On coming suddenly to the 

 brow of the precipice, 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 grega- 

 rious bird. In this part of the countiy they live al- 

 together 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 occa- 

 sions extend their daily excursions to any great 

 distance from their regular sleeping-places. 



The condors inay oftentimes be seen at a great 

 height, soaring over a certain spot in the most 

 graceful circles. On some occasions I am sure that 

 they do this only for pleasure, but on others, the 

 Chilcno countryman tells you that they are watch- 

 ing 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 

 condors frequently attack young goats and lambs ; 

 and the shepherd dogs are trained, whenever they 

 pass over, to run out, and, looking upwards, to bark 

 violently. The Chilenos destroy and catch num- 

 bers. Two methods are used : one is to place a 



