I'HE NiDiOI.O(ilSt 



11 



HOME OF THE CONDOR 



(Drawn by Nahl on the spot) 



a sheer precipice for its full length — not far 

 from 70 miles — and is ^7/7 j-f)////^/^ inaccessible 

 with the exception of a very few places. 

 Several Indians told me that Condors nest- 

 ed in the crags, and I think they were cor- 

 rect. The ledges were covered with a thick 

 growth of raanzanita and scrub oak, and 

 full of holes — ^just the places the Turkey 

 Buzzard would choose. 



"Many Indians, however, assured me 

 that the Condors nested in trees (pines). 

 This I do not believe. I think the}^ had 

 mistaken a Golden Eagle, which also nests 

 to some extent on the mountain, and 

 would be far more apt to put his nest in a 

 large pine." 



Mr. George F. Breninger, of Santa Cruz, 

 favors me with the following: 



"The notes which I have to offer con- 

 cerning the nesting of PscudogrypJuis cali- 

 forniamis are as given to me by an acquaint- 

 ance who has had some experience with 

 these birds. During August of last year 

 he shot an adult Condor which measured 

 eleven feet from tip to tip of wings. Its 

 size would be sufficient to know it to be the 

 California Condor, but to further verify- its 

 correctness my friend mentions the presence 

 of the white area under the wings, which 

 in flight are very conspicuous. Upon ask- 

 ing the question: 'Do they ever breed in 

 your vicinity?' he replied that they did, 

 and went on and gave the description of a 

 nest placed in a huge redwood tree. 



"Two Condors were seen perched on the 



nest at one time, and by going to the sum- 

 mit of a hill overlooking the nest two eggs 

 could be seen in it, which were white. To 

 him at that distance the eggs appeared 

 white, though in reality they are light 

 green. He further stated that the nest had 

 been in use many years. The substance of 

 these statements show that the California 

 Condor does not always nest on the ground, 

 and that it lays more than one egg at a time 

 of setting, a fact which has been set at con- 

 siderable variance by recent authors on the 

 habits of this bird. I hope to be able lO 

 visit the locality myself during the breeding 

 season, and any notes that I may be able to 

 gather will be cheerfully given to the scien- 

 tific world through the columns of ThR 



NiDIOIvOGIST. " 



In August, 1889, I found California Con- 

 dors in considerable numbers near Sargents, 

 San Benito county. From mj^ notebook of 

 that year I take the following: 



August 14 — Rode out to see the Vultures, 

 Saw one first among a lot of Turkey Buz- 

 zards. It flew off over the hills and out of 

 sight. From a higher point we saw another 

 single bird at a considerable distance off 

 and made toward it. Came to a little con- 

 cealed flat, where we saw six Vultures on 

 the ground, not 150 yards off. These flew 

 in a moment, mixing in with the numerous 

 Turkey Buzzards which circled about. 

 Soon, however, the most of the California 

 Vultures (they had been joined by others 



