422 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



work of the few careful growers who attempted to stamp 

 out their enemy of the grape-vines. The slaughter of birds 

 on a vast scale may account for the increase of the bicho de 

 cesto. We saw venders on the streets carrying baskets full 

 of small birds of several species — ^mostly sparrows — ^which 

 they sold by the dozen. The number killed weekly must 

 run into the thousands. As a natural result of this whole- 

 sale killing, birds are not plentiful in the environs of Men- 

 doza. 



From the outskirts of the city one has a superb view of 

 the Andean Range. The lofty mountains extend in an 

 imbroken, snow-capped line as far as the eye can see. 

 Aconcagua, the peer of the Argentine Andes, may be seen 

 from a point several miles south of Mendoza, lording over 

 his lesser satellites in a majestic, awe-inspiring way. The 

 shifting mists, cloud-banks, and intermittent sunlight play- 

 ing on the white peaks present an ever-varying series of 

 pictures that are vmexcelled for beauty and grandeur. 



At Mendoza we met an Italian who claimed to be the 

 champion condor-hunter of all South America. During 

 his ten years of collecting he had killed more than sixteen 

 thousand of the magnificent birds. His record for one day 

 was one himdred and fourteen. Natm-ally, they had be- 

 come greatly reduced in numbers, for the condor lays but 

 a single egg and it takes many months to rear the young. 

 His method was to drive a burro to some lonely gorge among 

 the bleak mountain-tops favored by the birds, and then 

 to kill the animal. He was very particular in stating that 

 the burro had to be fat — a poor one would not do for bait. 

 He then spread nets about the carcass, and when the con- 

 dors gathered about to feast he pulled a rope and ensnared 

 them; on one occasion he trapped sixty-seven at one throw 

 of the net. The prisoners were despatched with a club and 

 the long wing-feathers extracted to be exported to France 

 to decorate women's hats. Formerly he had received about 

 twenty pesos per bird. With his accumulated wealth he 

 built a powder-mill; this promptly blew up, so he was again 



