THE CONDOR, 



39 



iards themselves seem to dread its depreda- 

 tions ; and there have been many instances of 

 its carrying off their children. 



Mr Strong, the master of a ship, as he was 

 sailing along the coasts of Chili, in the thirty- 

 third degree of south latitude, observed a bird 

 sitting upon a high cliff near the shore, which 

 some of the ship's company shot with a leaden 

 bullet and killed. They were greatly sur- 

 prised when they beheld its magnitude ; for 

 when the wings were extended, they .measured 

 thirteen feet from one tip to the other. One 

 of the quills was two feet four inches long ; 

 and the barrel or hollow part, was six inches 

 and three quarters, and an inch and a half in 

 circumference. 



We have a still more circumstantial account 

 of this amazing bird, by P. Feuille, the only 

 traveller who has accurately described it: '* In 

 the valley of Ilo, in Peru, I discovered a con- 

 dor perched on a high rock before me : I ap- 

 proached within gun-shot, and fired ; but as 

 my piece was only charged with swan-shot, 

 the lead was not able sufficiently to pierce the 

 bird's feathers. I perceived however, by its 

 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 yards 

 distant on the sea- shore. I therefore charged 

 again with ball, 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 

 scarcely 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 extrem. 

 ity ; 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 ; 



taut family to which it belongs, agreeing with the 

 genuine eagles of the old world in most points of its 

 general structure, and more particularly in its length- 

 ened wings and feathered legs, but differing from them 

 in the character from which it derives its name. This 

 form is peculiar to the continent of New Holland, where 

 it appears exclusively to occupy the place of the even- 

 tailed species of the European and Asiatic group, none 

 of which have hitherto been detected on any part of the 

 Australian coast. 



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 pro- 

 portion ; and the legs were covered with black 

 scales, as also the toes ; but in these the scales 

 were larger. 



" These birds usually keep in the moun- 

 tains, where they find their prey : they never 

 descend to the sea-shore, but in the rainy sea- 

 son ; 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 

 particularly in winter. 



" The little nourishment which these birds 

 find on the sea-coast, except when the tempest 

 drives 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, described by Arabian writers, 

 and so much exaggerated by fable, is but a 

 species of the condor. The great bird of Tar- 

 nassar, in the East Indies, 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 Germany, 

 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 eighteen 

 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 have the quills 

 more than twice as big as those of a swan. 

 However this be, we are not to regret that it 

 is scarcely ever seen in Europe, as it appears 

 to be one of the most formidable enemies of 

 mankind. In the deserts of Pachomac, where 

 it is chiefly seen, men seldom venture to travel. 

 Those wild regions are very sufficient of them- 

 selves to inspire a secret horror : broken pre- 

 cipices prowling panthers forests only 

 vocal with the hissing of serpents and 

 mountains rendered still more terrible by the 

 condor, the only bird that ventures to make 

 its residence in those deserted situations. 1 



1 The preceding chapter shows how much igkiorani-e 



