78 BIRDS OF PREY 



of a single state is liable to be wiped out in five years, by 

 poison, or traps, or lack of food. 



In order to obtain the best and also the most conservative 

 information regarding the California Condor, I appealed to 

 the Curator of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, of the 

 University of California, Professor Joseph Grinnell, who has 

 furnished me with the following clear, precise and conserva- 

 tive survey of this species. It may fairly be entitled, "The 

 Status of the California Condor in 1912. "^ 



"To my knowledge, the California Condor has been def- 

 initely observed within the past five years in the following 

 California counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, 

 San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Kern and Tulare. In parts of 

 Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Kern counties 

 the species is still fairly common, for a large bird, probably 

 equal in numbers to the golden eagle in those regions that 

 are suited to it. By suitable country I mean cattle-raising, 

 mountainous territory, of which there are still vast areas, and 

 which are not likely to be put to any other use for a very long 

 time, if ever, on account of the lack of water. 



"While in Kern County last April, I was informed by a 

 reliable man who Uves near the Tejon Rancho that he had 

 counted twenty-five Condors in a single day, since January 1 

 of the present year. These were on the Tejon Rancho, which 

 is an enormous cattle-range covering parts of the Tehachapi 

 and San Emigdio Mountains. 



"Our present state law provides complete protection for 

 the Condor and its eggs; and the State Fish and Game Com- 



1 From "Our Vanishing Wild Life," 1913, p. 21. 



