THE KING VULTUEE. 281 



of its native home, it is seldom found lower than the line of perpetual 

 snow, and seems to seek lower and more temperate regions only when 

 driven by hunger to make a raid on the flocks or the wild quadrupeds 

 of its native country. Although preferring carrion to the flesh of 

 recently-killed animals, the Condor is a terrible pest to the cattle- 

 keeper, for it will frequently make an attack upon a cow or a bull, 

 and by dint of constant worrying force the poor beast to succumb. 

 Two of these birds will attack a vicugna, a deer, or even the formida- 

 ble puma, and, as they direct their assaults chiefly upon the eyes, they 

 soon succeed in blinding their prey, who rapidly falls under the terrible 

 blows which are delivered by the beaks of its assailants. 



The Condor deposits its eggs — for it makes no nest whatever — upon 

 a bare shelf of some lofty rock. The eggs are two in number, grayish 

 white in color, and are laid about November or December. When the 

 young Condor is hatched it is nearly naked, but is furnished with a 

 scanty covering of down, which in a short time becomes very plentiful, 

 enveloping the body in a complete vestment of soft black plumage. 

 The deep black-gray of -the adult bird is not attained until a lapse of 

 three years, the color of the plumage being a yellowish brown. 



The King Vulture has gained its regal title from a supposition, 

 which is prevalent among the natives of the country which it inhabits, 

 that it wields royal sway over the aura, or zopilote Vultures, and that 

 the latter birds will not venture to touch a dead carcase until the King 

 Vulture has taken his share. There is some truth for this supposition, 

 for the King Vulture will not permit any other bird to begin its meal 

 until its own hunger is satisfied. The same habit may be seen in many 

 other creatures, the more powerful lording it over the weaker, and 

 leaving them only the remains of the feast instead of permitting them 

 to partake of it on equal terms. But if the King Vulture should not 

 happen to be present when the dead animal has reached a state of 

 decomposition which renders it palatable to vulturine tastes, the sub- 

 ject Vultures would pay but little regard to the privileges of their 

 absent monarch, and would leave him but a slight prospect of getting 

 a meal on the remains of the feast. 



Waterton, who often mentions this species in his interesting works, 

 gives several curious instances of the sway which the King Vulture 

 exercises over the inferior birds. " When I had done with the carcase 

 of the large snake, it was conveyed into the forest, as I expected that 

 it would attract the king of the Vultures, as soon as time should have 

 rendered it suflficiently savory. In a few days it sent forth the odor 

 which a carcase should send forth, and about twenty of the common 

 Vultures came and perched on the neighboring trees. The king of 

 the Vultures came too, and I observed that none of the common ones 

 seemed inclined to begin breakfast until His Majesty had finished. 

 24* 



