i6o Vol.. IX 



THE CONDOR FIFTY YEARS AGO 



By C. S. SHARP 



IT was recently my good fortune to secure a work that is probably little known 

 to most of the present day ornithologists. This is the "North American 



Oology," by Dr. Thos. M. Brewer, one volume only, published by the Smith- 

 sonian Institution in 1857. It is somewhat of the nature of Bendire's "lyife His- 

 tories," the size and general make-up being the same, but necessarily much 

 abbreviated. It comprises 112 pages of text with preface and addenda, table of 

 contents, "Catalogue of the Species of Birds inhabiting North America north of 

 Mexico" (as contained in the volume), index, and five pages of lithographic plates, 

 illustrating the eggs of fifty-one species, seventy-four eggs in all being shown. 



These plates are very fine, being only slightly inferior to the splendid illustra- 

 tions in the "Life Histories." 



In the preface Dr. Brewer says: "The present part embraces the descriptions 

 and illustrations of the eggs of the Order Raptores and of the Tribe Fissirostres of 

 the Order Insessores. So far as he (the author) is at present aware, these include 

 seventy-nine species inhabiting North America. Of these the eggs of no less than 

 twenty are still entirely unknown to him, while of those of eleven others he has no 

 present means of giving illustrations." In this connection it will be of interest to 

 note that our present list contains fifty-eight recognized species of Raptores and 

 some thirty-nine subspecies. Dr. Brewer in his catalogue gives fifty-nine, several 

 of which have been since discarded or given sub-specific rank. Of the Insessores, 

 families Caprimulgidse, Hirundinid^ and Halcyonidse he gives twenty species. 

 Our list contains the same number of species and thirteen subspecies for these 

 three families. 



As may be readily understood the facilities for obtaining accurate data fifty 

 years ago were extremely limited, and access to large series of eggs and nests was 

 not possible as at the present time. Eggs of many species that we now consider 

 fairly common were then unknown. In many instances Dr. Brewer's descriptions 

 are from single eggs only, or from hearsay, or from drawings of eggs. One can 

 readily understand the tremendous discouragements of scientific work under such 

 circumstances, and it is not surprising that only the one volume was produced. As 

 an instance of contradictory data and lack of it his article on the Condor is of 

 interest, and is particularly so in view of Mr. Finley's most interesting papers. It 

 is given without abridgment. 



Cathartes Californianus. 



(Eleven lines of synomyiny) 



Vulg. — The Californian Vulture. 



The California Turkey-Buzzard. 



But one instance of the possession of a well-authenticated egg of this species by a naturalist 

 has come to my knowledge. This was one laid in confinement by a female belonging to the 

 Garden of Plants in Paris. An accurate drawing of this was taken by Dr. James Trudeau, and is 

 now in my possession. There seems no reason to doubt that the egg thus laid does not essentially 

 vary from those deposited in a wild state. It certainly is hardly possible that the variations 

 between this and the natural egg can be so total and striking, as between it and the attributed 

 shape and markings of the eggs of this species, if we credit the previous accounts which have been 

 given of the eggs of the Californian Vulture. These descriptions are, however, all traceable to 

 one source, so far as I am aware. David Douglas, in the Zoological Journal, speaks of the eggs of 



