48 



THE COLLECTORS' MONTHLY. 



of attacking adults except in defence of 

 their eggs. When full fed or gorged the 

 bird is exceedingly stupid, and can be 

 captured by hand, but at other times it 

 is more than a match for any man. 



It passes the greater part of its time in 

 sleeping, more often searching for its prey 

 in the morning and evening than at 

 noon, very likely because objects are then 

 more distinctly seen. 



The bird is seldom shot, but generally 

 trapped or lassoed. Prescott in his his- 

 tory of the "Conquest of Peru," speaks 

 of the "great bird of the Andes, the 

 loathsome condor, which, sailing high 

 above the clouds, followed with doleful 

 cries in the track of the armies." But. this 

 is a poetic exaggeration, for the only 

 noise it makes is a hissing like that of a 

 goose. 



Its nest is on some inacessible cliff, and 

 here it lays two white eggs, which are 

 a.bout four inches long. Its nest really 

 consists of a few sticks laid around the 

 eggs, the skill and intelligence of other 

 birds being lacking. Perhaps a more 

 correct way of putting it is that there is 

 no need of the protective skill of elaborate 

 nests, as the bird does its breeding on in- 

 accessible heights where no enemy is to 

 be feared. The young are not able to fly 

 for nearly two years, and for the first 

 year they look like gigantic goslings. 

 The white frill at the base of the neck and 

 the white wing feathers do not" appear 

 till the second plumage, until which time 

 they lie in secluded caves, fed by their 

 elders. 



The head, neck, and front of the breast 

 of the condor are bare, indicative of its 

 love of carrion. The head is fiat and 

 elongated; the skin lies infolds. The 

 whole appearance is hideous and repul- 

 sive, loathsome to the eye as it is to the 

 smell, for the odor of decayed flesh reeks 

 from every feather. Though the condor 



has not the bright eye of the eagle, and 

 the smelling powers of the dog ityet per- 

 ceives the carcass from afar. It lacks 

 the strength and sharpness of the eagles 

 beak, and its powerful talons for seizing 

 living prey. It is simply the most gigan- 

 tic of vultures, and with all the habits 

 and instincts of the vulture race, lacking 

 the courage and fierceness of the eaale, 

 and other predatory birds of the same 

 type. But when the condor is seen soar- 

 ing high up in the sky with slow and ma- 

 jestic flight, it is said to be one of the 

 most striking exhibitions of power and 

 grace to be seen in bird life. "World of 

 Wonders." 



[Special to the Collectors' Monthly.] 

 The American Gold Finch. 



(Spinas tristis.) 

 This very beautiful bird called also 

 thistle-bird, yellow-bird, lettuce-bird and 

 wild canary, breeds in August. The 

 back of the bird is black, and the wings 

 are bright yellow. When sitting on some 

 slender branch it is one of the most beau- 

 tiful birds I have ever seen. When flying 

 rapidly it is very often mistaken for a 

 canary by young collectors, but the older 

 and more experienced ornithologist will 

 at once recognize it by its dark colored 

 back. Its nest is almost always found 

 in thistles, hence its name thistle-flnch. I 

 have never found a, nest of this species 

 more than five feet from the ground. 

 The nest is composed of dried grass very 

 closely woven and lined with the soft 

 down from the thistle blossom. The com- 

 mon number of eggs is five or six. 

 They are deposited two days apart and 

 are of a light blue color much the same 

 as the blue bird but smaller. If you dis- 

 turb the bird on her nest when she has 

 two or three eggs, although you may not 

 touch the nest or thistle she will not de- 

 posit another egg in it, but will continue 



