194 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



© 1006 William l^. Finley and H. T. Bolilman 



TTIi; CONDOR SlIILU 



The California Condor is a bird of slow growth; it takes more than six months to develop 

 from egghood to full flight. This bird lived in the New York Zoological Park until 11 years old. 



elly hill and winds out through the 

 meadow land. For a mile it meanders 

 along till it comes to the main part of the 

 tule marsh — thousands of floating islands, 

 between which flow narrow channels that 

 are endless in their windings. 



The main body of the lake is still a mile 

 beyond the place where the spring branch 

 enters the tule jungle. The tules grow 

 12 feet high; so that when one enters the 

 ma.ss he has no landmarks unless, per- 

 chance, he can read signs in the heavens. 



We launched our flatboat in the spring 



branch and set out, anxious to get the lay 

 of the land and see some of the birds. 

 We passed from the spring branch into 

 the serpentine meanderin 

 tules. 



among the 



I,OST ,'\MOXG TULE ISLANDS 



In one place I heard a pair of Sora 

 Rails chattering anxiously. We shoved 

 the nose of the boat into the tule mass 

 that covered the water like an immense 

 haycock. As 1 crawled out over the bow 

 and stepped on the springv mass, tlie 



