The California Condor 



case of sleeping out that night. But off to the southeastward some twenty 

 or thirty miles, the Carisso plains lay baking in the sun. The focal point 

 of this great oven was sending up a huge column of heated air, as evi- 

 denced by clouds slowly revolving at the height of a mile or so above the 

 plain. What followed can best be given in Mr. Brown's own words: 

 "Presently one of the Condors gave up the fight, sailed a mile or so to the 

 eastward, and, after circling to gain elevation, made away in a bee-line 

 for the southeast. In a short time the 

 other three went through the same manoeu- 

 ver and followed after their companion. 

 I now brought my telescope into action 

 and I never took the glass off the birds 

 although they became mere specks in the 

 sky. The Condors did not swerve from 

 their course until they entered the spiral 

 cloud. Upon striking that ascending col- 

 umn of air they rose rapidly, apparently 

 without effort, as a balloon might rise, 

 being now and again lost to view in the 

 fleecy folds of ascending vapor, until 

 within an incredibly short space of time 

 they emerged above the clouds, into a 

 higher region of absolute clearness, say 

 three miles above the earth. Here they 

 must have found themselves well above and 

 quite free from the lower currents of air 

 which had plagued them, for now they 

 sailed straight to the westward, descended 

 and — glided triumphantly homeward on 

 the wings of their ancient enemy, the south- 

 west gale! 



"I do not think that more than thirty 

 minutes had elapsed from the time the 

 Condors gave up the fight till they were 

 safely at roost in their rookery; yet these 

 birds must have traveled somewhere from 

 fifty to seventy miles to accomplish their 

 purpose, and the whole performance took 

 place without the flap of a wing." 



We leave it to the reader to judge 

 whether such an action as the foregoing 

 springs from instinct or from intelligence. 



Taken in Los Angeles County Photo by Finley and Bohlman 



MEASURABLY REASSURED 



1731 



