58 THE NIDOLOGIST 
A Pet Condor 
STRANGE PET, you think, but this 
huge bird, a California Vulture (Pseudo- 
eryphus californianus,) now about 
eight months old, is as gentle and playful 
as a kitten. 
He was taken from the nest, which was 
simply the bare floor of a cave, high up 
among thecliffs in Monterey, Co., California, 
and overlooking a dark canyon, with the 
stream about 300 feet below. At that time 
(July 7, 1896) he was probably about four 
weeks old, about the size of a half grown 
SITTING FOR HIS PICTURE 
goose, and covered all over with white 
down. Through this the black feathers 
gradually pushed out until he was fully 
feathered, and he began to venture around 
the place a little. 
As he grew older, being still unable to 
fly, one of his favorite amusements was to 
wade out into the creek, flowing near the 
house, and take a good bath, after which 
he would stand in the sun with widespread 
wings until dry. 
We keep the bird now ina large wire 
netted enclosure where he has plenty of 
freedom, and he enjoys nothing so much as 
being petted. He is particularly partial to 
Mrs. Holmes’' company, and when she 
enters the cage he will always fly down 
from the highest perch, which is his favor- 
ite resting place, and come rubbing up as a 
kitten does to be played with. 
If annoyed by anything he dislikes he 
hisses much like a goose, raising the ruffs 
around his neck at the same time. 
A few days ago I turned a Golden Eagle 
into the cage witb him, of which the Condor 
was at first afraid, but now he stands his 
ground and hisses at Mr. Eagle should he 
; get too familiar. 
Any small, bright object immediately 
draws his attention, and when trying to 
get his photograph the rubber bulb of my 
| camera shutter proved an irresistible attrac- 
tion, and I had to keep sharp watch to pre- 
vent its being ‘‘punctured,’’ or the possi- 
bility of the Condor taking a snap shot of 
me. 
A large white sheet I fastened up for a 
background he repeatedly tugged down for 
investigation, tangling up his head in a 
comical manner. On another occasion he 
caught up the sheet in his beak. 
FRANK H. HoLmMEs, 
Berryessa, Calif. 
+o 
An Odd Nesting Site. 
On January 9, 1896, while egging witha 
friend in Diamond Canyon, near Piedmont, 
Cal., I discovered a nest of the Black- 
headed Grosbeak almost over our heads in 
one of the lower branches of an alder tree. 
It was nothing uncommon to find such a 
nest, but there was a dark spot in the 
center of the nest which attracted our 
attention. When my friend touched the 
limb on which it was resting, we were 
surprised to see a female Arkansas Gold- 
finch fly off and alight on a neighboring 
shrub. That louked suspicious, so my 
friend bent the limb down until I could 
get the nest, when, to our surprise, the 
flat Grosbeak’s nest held a nest of the 
Arkansas Goldfinch, containing four 
perfectly fresh eggs. The inner nest was 
made of bark-fibre, string, and cotton, and 
was not fastened to the other nest in any 
manner. JoHn M. WILLARD, 
Oakland, Cal. 
—— — > > 
Next manth weshall most likely have to ex- 
ose an unusually audacious fraud. 
