^21 



toes arc a li(tle shorter, and are armed with strcnj^ 

 and crooked talons. The tail is entire^, hut small 

 ill proportion to the size of the bird. The 

 female is I;'5-s than the male, and of a brownish 

 colour; she has no fringe about the neck, but a 

 small tuft upon tlie hinder part of it. She builds 

 her nest upon the most steep and inaccessible 

 clilfs, and lajs two v/hitc eggs larger than those 

 of the turkey. 



The condors feed cither upon carcasses, or 

 upon animals which they kill themselves, and 

 thus supply the place of wolves, which are 

 imknown in Chili. They frcqiicntly attack 

 flocks of sheep or goats, and even calves Mhen 

 they are separated from tlio cows. In the latter 

 c:ise tlierc arc always several of them together, 

 Vv'ho flv upon the calf with their wings extended, 

 dig out its eyes, and in a few moiricnts tear it in 

 })icccs. 



The husbandmen make use of every stratagem 

 to destroy so dangerous a bird. For this purpose 

 they sometimes envelope tht;inselves in llicskin of 

 :!n ox newly slayed, and place themsiihes on 

 their backs upon the ground ; the coiulor, de~ 

 ceived by the appearaiicc, approa'jiics the sup- 

 posed dead aniiiial to devour it, ^^ lu ii ;hepcr-on 

 %vi(hjn, v,ho-e hands arc j)roteck-,l bv s'.nv.jg 

 g]()^es, (lc?^(erously sei/es the ]vf'< ol* (he I'ird, 

 ;iial iioUls it until his ceiiijjar.ior.s, ( ()..c;:a]<'d hard 

 in-, ru:i up (o hi:, assi^la>.ce, ana di:j'aL:h it wiih 

 vlnhs. Anotlier mode i; lo form :i ^i:iali circtilar 



