ORDER ACCIPITRES. 



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It was from doubting the existence of this extraordinary crest, 

 that BufTon was led to join the condor with the Isemmer-geyer 

 of Europe. The engraving given of the first in the small edi- 

 tion of BufFon published at Deux Fonts resembles any vulture 

 of Europe more than the object it was intended to represent. 

 It is still more singular that the Abbe Molina, a native of Chili, 

 should have known so little about the condor. After having 

 pointed out the false characters used to distinguish the two 

 sexes, he concludes by assuring the reader that the condor 

 differs from the vultur harhatus only in colour. This naturalist 

 does not even mention the crest of the male condor. 



The condor, like the lama, the vicunna, the alpaca, and 

 several alpine plants, is peculiar to the chain of the Andes. 

 The region of the globe which he appears to prefer to every 

 other is of an elevation of from 1600 to 2500 toises. When- 

 ever the Baron and his friend M. Bonpland were led, in the 

 course of their herborizing excursions, to the limits of perpetual 

 snows, they were always surrounded by condors. There they 

 used to find them, three or four in number, on the points of 

 the rocks. They exhibited no distrust, and suffered themselves 

 to be approached within a couple of toises- They did not 

 appear to have the slightest inclination to attack. Baron de 

 Humboldt declares that, after the utmost research, he never 

 heard a single example quoted of a condor having carried off 

 a child, as has been so frequently reported. Many naturalists 

 have asserted that condors have killed young persons of both 

 sexes of from ten to twelve years of age. These assertions are 

 not less fabulous than the report concerning the tremendous 

 noise made by the vulture of the Andes in his flight, of which 

 Linnseus observes '' Attonitos et surdos fere reddit homines.'' 

 M. de Humboldt does not, however, doubt that two condors 

 ■VYOuld be capable of depriving a child of ten years of age of 

 life, or even a grown man. It is very common to see them 

 attack a young bull, and tear out his tongue and eyes. The 

 beak and talons of the condor are of the most enormous force. 

 Vol. Vr. N 



