THE CONDOR 



Vol. X 



these forces, but the condor is too slow in recuperating its numbers. Even under 

 favorable circumstances, each pair of condors will raise but one offspring a year. 

 Oftentimes a pair of condors are very irregular in nesting. One collector states 

 that in a certain locality where a pair of the birds live, they have nested but three 

 times in about twelve years. Under these conditions it is not surprising that the 

 condor numbers are decreasing, and unless the needed protection is given, this bird 

 will undoubtedly follow the Great Auk. 



If one were to begin collecting data on the California Condor, he would soon 

 discover how little is really known. For a number of years, Mr. W. I^ee Cham- 

 bers has been collecting records to ascertain the exact number of the eggs of this 

 bird that are in existence. These records reach up to the year 1906. At that time 

 there were only forty-one eggs of this condor in the various museums and private 

 collections of the world, while there are over seventy eggs of the Great Auk. There 

 were about half a dozen of the birds in captivity. Of the eggs, twenty-six are first 



class and fifteen second class. 

 A number of eggs may have 

 been taken in the early days, 

 but ver}^ few of these are in 

 existence at the present time. 

 An egg in the possession of 

 J. H. Gurney, England, was 

 taken in April, 1859. As far 

 as the records show, there were 

 four taken about the year 

 1870, one in 1889, three in 

 1895, two in 1897, three in 

 1898, one in 1899, eight in 

 1900, three in 1901, six in 

 1902, one in 1903, and three 

 in 1905. 



The best early historical 

 account of the California 

 condor was published in 

 Hutchings' California Maga- 

 zine in the June, July and 

 August numbers of 1859. It 

 was written by Mr. Alexan- 

 der S. Taylor. Altho the 

 bird had been known to the scientific world since mentioned by Shaw in 1779, 

 yet neither the bird nor the egg had been properly described, except from hearsay. 

 Both Douglas in 1827, and Townsend in 1837, as related in Audubon, failed to 

 discover the nest or ever got to see the eggs. Douglas assumed and stated dog- 

 matically that the color of the egg was "jet black", which information was secured 

 from the Indians. 



It is interesting to note that the egg taken at this time, from which Mr. 

 Taylor secured his description, is still in existence. This is very likely the oldest 

 egg of the California condor, and is now in the collection of J. H. Gurney in 

 England. The egg was secured from a hunter who took it the last week in April, 

 1859. Mr. Taylor recounts that the egg was laid in the hollow of a tall oak tree 

 near the summit of one of the highest peaks in the vicinity of Tularcitos, near a 

 place called Cunejos. This is the only record we have of the condor ever nesting 



CONDOR JUST DROPPING OFF HER PKRCH IN FLIGHT; 

 TAKEN AT I-I200 PART OF A SECOND EXPOSURE 



