78 



THE NIDiOLOGlSt. 



until 1 counted 13) flew circling by them- 

 selves. 



August 15 — No Condors seen until 9:40 

 A. M., when three were observed sailing 

 near the hill-tops. In the afternoon as Mr. 

 J. V. Sargent and I came home from the 

 mineral spring, we saw six, not over 200 

 yards from the road and flying very low. 



I remember yet, with a strange thrill, 

 how, a day or two later, I saw a great Con- 

 dor swoop over a low hill, flying only three 

 or four feet from the ground, and within 

 eas}' gun-shot range. The bird seemed 

 more like the fabulous creation of a dream 

 than the reality. 



On February 23, '8g, I saw three Condors 

 in Pacheco Pass. They were flying south- 

 ward, at a low elevation. Their flight was 

 direct, steady flappings of the wings fol- 

 lowed by prolonged soaring. 



Mr. Will A. Burres wrote me from Sar- 

 gents, July 28, '8g: "I have seen a few 

 Vultures this year, but they are very scarce. 

 The first I saw on June 22 — three birds fly- 

 ing very high. P'rom that on to July 16 I 

 would see one or two a daj', but on that date 

 I saw six." 



On Augus't 8, '89, Mr. Burres secured a 

 Condor for me, and as a description of a 

 Condor hunt is probably unique, 1 take it 

 from his letter to me of the above date. 



"On August 7 I left the house with my 

 shot-gun and horse. In a short time I saw 

 one Condor high in the air. I gave up the 

 idea of getting one and started in to shoot 

 Doves. At the second shot my horse got 

 away. He ran about two miles l)efore I 

 got him. I then started back after the 

 Doves, and on the way I saw some Condors 

 on the ground and some flying. 



"Iran down the gulch, but could not get 

 near them. 



"Then I got down flat on the ground, 

 and they would come within about 75 yards 

 of me and sail ofTagain until they got higher 

 and higher. There were 16 of them. I 

 next ran up a hill and saw about 16 more 

 on the ground and some 300 yards from the 

 San Benito river. 



"I ran back around the hill into the flat 

 and started them, then ran up the hill and 

 down. I charged them again, when one 

 took the lead and came straight toward me. 

 When it got within about 30 yards I fired 

 and it fell with a thud that might have been 

 heard a good distance. It was killed with a 

 No. 8 shot." 



This bird weighed 20 pounds, and meas- 



ured nine and one-half inches in expanse. 



I remember noticing some Condors at 

 Sargents which were of smaller size, ap- 

 parently young birds. Mr. Burres also 

 wrote me about this time: "They are not 

 all the same size or color. Some are darker 

 than others, and have not much white on 

 the under side of their wings, and the tip of 

 the wings do not spread as those of the 

 larger birds do." 



Of recent years I have not seen more than 

 an occasional Condor near Sargents, and I 

 am informed that they are no longer seen in 

 numbers there in the fall. 



I came upon a pair of Condors there, 

 however, last April, not over 300 yards from 

 the railroad. They were in a hollow on a 

 knoll, and were feeding on a dead colt. 

 They were within easy shooting range, but 

 as IS usual in such cases the shot-gun was 

 not handy. 



But how I did enjoy watching the flight 

 of those kings of the air, for they are in 

 their element when flying with — stupen- 

 dous ease; that is the only expression which 

 fits. 



They circled rather than flew over toward 

 Henry Miller's, for fully a mile, then rose 

 higher, and were soon seen nearly a mile in 

 the opposite direction, and rising higher 

 and higher until they were specks in the 

 sky, and then were lost to sight. What is 

 distance to such regal birds? They may 

 breakfast at Sargents and dine at Los 

 Angeles! 



After leaving Sargents Mr. Burres spent 

 some time at Kscondido, San Diego county, 

 from which place he sent me, January 12, 

 1890, some further notes on the Condor, 

 which I am glad to be able to present. He 

 writes : 



"I took up in a canyon today to see a 

 watei-fall. On one side there are great 

 ledges of rock, and on the rocks were two 

 Condors. They were very tame for such 

 birds. I got on a ledge about 75 feet up, 

 not a hard climb, and was within less than 

 50 3^ards of them. 



"They did not appear to take much 

 notice of me. I watched them for some 

 time as they moved about on the rocks. 

 One was much darker than the other. I 

 had my gun and could easily have got one, 

 I think, but I have an idea they may ne.st 

 there. There are numerous shelves on the 

 rocks, and there was also a hole a few feet 

 from them. The rocks are probably 200 

 feet high in the highest place." 



