THE CONDOR. 



Sarcorjmphvs Gryphus. Dum. 



That the vulgar opinion of the immense size and 

 ferocity of this, the largest of the American Birds of 

 Prey, should have extended its influence over the minds 

 even of scientific zoologists, can scarcely be regarded 

 as affording just grounds of surprise, when we consider 

 how very imperfectly the Condor was known to natu- 

 ralists down to the commencement of the present 

 century. Twenty years ago one or two mutilated 

 specimens formed the only memorials of its existence 

 in the cabinets of Europe ; and all our knowledge of 

 the living bird was derived from the relations of travel- 

 lers, for the most part but little conversant with natural 

 history, many of whom merely repeated without exami- 

 nation such stories as they found current ; while others, 

 less scrupulous or more fanciful, drew on their invention 



BIRDS. B 



