1834.] TU CONDOR 183 
shores of the Pacific, and at night several roost together in one 
tree; but in the early part of summer, they retire to the most in- 
accessible parts of the inner Cordillera, there to breed in peace. 
With respect to their propagation, I was told by the country 
people in Chile, that the condor makes no sort of nest, but in 
the months of November and December lays two large white 
eggs on a shelf of bare rock. It is said that the young condors 
cannot fly for an entire year; and long after they are able, they 
continue to roost by night, and hunt by day with their parents. 
The old birds generally live in pairs; but among the inland ba- 
saltic cliffs of the Santa Cruz, I fount a spot, where scores must 
usually haunt. On coming suddenly to the brow of the, preci- 
pice, it was a grand spectacle to see between twenty and thirty 
of these great birds start heavily from their resting-place, and 
wheel away in majestic circles. From the quantity of dung on 
the rocks, they must long have frequented this cliff for roosting 
and breeding. Having gorged themselves with carrion on the 
plains below, they retire to these favourite ledges to digest their 
food. From these facts, the condor, like the gallinazo, must to 
a certain degree be considered as a gregarious bird. In this 
vart of the country they live altogether on the guanacos which 
have died a natural death, or, as more commonly happens, have 
been killed by the pumas. I believe, from what I saw in Patagonia, 
that they do not on ordinary occasions extend their daily excur- 
sions to any great distance from their regular sleeping-places. 
The condors may oftentimes be seen at a great height, soaring 
over a certain spot in the most graceful circles. On some occa- 
sions I am sure that they do this only for pleasure, but on others, 
the Chileno countryman tells you that they are watching a dying 
animal, or the puma devouring its prey. If the condors glide 
down, and then suddenly all rise together, the Chileno knows 
that it is the puma which, watching the carcass, has sprung out 
to drive away the robbers. Besides feeding on carrion, the con- 
dors frequently attack young goats and lambs; and the shep- 
herd dogs are trained, whenever they pass over, to run out, and 
looking upwards,to bark violently. The Chilenos destroy and 
catch numbers. Two methods are used; one is to place a car 
cass on a level piece of ground within an enclosure of sticks with 
an opening, and when the condors are gorged, to gallop up on 
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