ORDER ACCIPITRES. 169 



as they change the syllable hua into gua. They say, for in- 

 stance, the volcano of Tonguragua, instead of Tungurahua, 

 and Andes, instead o^ Anti. Baron de Humboldt thinks, that 

 cuntur is derived from cuntuni, which signifies to smell well, 

 to spread an odour of fruit, meat, or other aliments. This lan- 

 guage is so rich, that it has three neuter verbs, mucani, cuntuni, 

 and aznani, Avhich express, to smell, generally, without deter- 

 mining the odour; to smell well, and to smell disagreeably. The 

 Baron observes, that, as there is nothing more astonishing than 

 the almost inconceivable sagacity with which the condor dis- 

 tinguishes the odour of flesh from an immense distance, the 

 etymologist may be allowed to believe, that both cuntur and 

 cuntuni come from one and the same unknown root. He has 

 chosen, however, to retain the popular name of condor, lest any 

 doubts might be started respecting the identity of the bird 

 which he describes, with that of which so many fabulous stories 

 have been related. 



M. Dumeril has separated the condor from the genus vultur, 

 and joined it, and the papa, and the oricou, in a new genus, to 

 which he has given the name of sarcoramphus . This appears 

 a very judicious distinction ; for the crests, or fleshy caruncles, 

 which crown the beak, present a very distinctive character. 



The young condor has no feathers. The body, for many 

 months, is covered only with a very fine down, or a frizzled 

 whitish hair, resembling that of the young ululae. This down 

 disfigures the young bird so much, that it appears almost as 

 large in this state as when adult. The condors at two years old 

 have not the black plumage, but a fawn-coloured brown. The 

 female, up to this period, has not the white collar formed at the 

 bottom of the neck by feathers longer than the others. This 

 collar the Spaniards name golilta. From a want of proper at- 

 tention to these changes produced by age, many naturalists, and 

 even the inhabitants of Peru themselves, Avho take little interest 

 in ornithology, have announced two species of condors, black 

 and brown (Condor negro y Condor pardoj. M. de Hum- 



