-BIRDS. 



241 



The head and neck are quite naked, and the skin on 

 these parts is variously folded. 



The Condor, although undoubtedly one of the largest, 

 or perhaps the largest of predaceous birds, long 

 enjoyed a reputation for -size and strength to which 

 he was certainly not entitled. This was due to the 

 exaggerated accounts of the older travellers in America, 

 which led their readers ajmost to believe that this bird 

 rivalled the fabulous Roc of the Arabian writers in 



rig.' 



bulk. It appears, however, from the more trust- worthy 

 accounts of modern naturalists, amongst whom we 

 may mention especially the late Baron Humboldt and 

 his celebrated companion Bonpland, that the Condor 

 scarcely exceeds the Lammergeyer in size and spread 

 of wing, the ordinary distance from tip to tip being 

 only from nine to eleven feet, and the largest recorded 

 expanse fourteen feet. These are about the measure- 

 ments of tlie Lammergeyer ; and as the length of the 



The Condor (Sarcorhamphus Gryphus). 



latter bird from the tip of the beak to the extremity of 

 the tail, is rather greater than that of a Condor with 

 the same expanse of wing, we may consider these 

 birds as approaching very closely in size. 



The basal part of the beak in the Condor is brown- 

 ish; the tip nearly white. The naked skin of the 

 head and neck is of a reddish colour, with a few 

 scattered black hairs. The front of the neck, beneath 

 the chin, is furnished with a loose membrane, which 

 can be dilated at the will of the bird, in the same way 

 as the wattles of the turkey-cock. Round the base of 

 the neck is a frill of white, downy feathers, like that 

 which has already been described as occurring in other 

 species ; and the rest of the plumage is black or greyish- 

 black, with the exception of the wing coverts and the 

 secondary quill feathers, of which the former are white 



at the apex in tne male, and the latter along the outer 

 margin in both sexes. The legs, which are short and 

 very stout, are of a grey colour. The toes exhibit a 

 distinct membrane at their base, and are armed with 

 rather long and stout, but very slightly curved, black 

 claws. The hinder toe is very short, in comparison 

 with that of the birds of prey in general. 



The Condor is found along the whole range of the vast 

 chain of the Andes, from near the Straits of Magellan to 

 the republic of New Granada, a few degrees north of the 

 equator. It is most abundant in the tropical parts of this 

 range, especially in Peru and Quito. It is principally 

 an inhabitant of the higher regions of the mountains, 

 from an elevation of about 11,000 feet up to the line of 

 perpetual snow. In its flight, however, it soars far 

 above the latter level, and is justly said by Humboldt 



