THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 



197 



pices at the head of Port Desire, the condor is not uncom- 

 mon; yet only a few stragglers occasionally visit the sea- 

 coast. A line of cliff near the mouth of the Santa Cruz is 

 frequented by these birds, and about eighty miles up the 

 river, ^ where the sides of the valley are formed by steep 

 basaltic precipices, the condor reappears. From these facts, 

 it seems that the condors require perpendicular cliffs. In 

 Chile, they haunt, during the greater part of the year, the 

 lower country near the 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 inaccessible 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 basaltic cliffs of the Santa 

 Cruz, I found a spot, where scores must usually haunt. On 

 coming suddenly to the brow of the precipice, 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 part of the country they live altogether on the guana- 

 cos 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 occa- 

 sions extend their daily excursions 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 occasions I am sure that they do this only for 

 pleasure, but on others, the Chileno countryman tells you 



