196 
Birds. 
THE CONDOR. (Vultur gryphus.) 
This bird measures three or four feet long, and its wings, 
when expanded, from ten to twelve feet. Its bill and 
talons are exceedingly large and strong ; and its courage 
is equal to its strength. The throat is naked, and of a 
red colour. The upper parts in some individuals (for 
they differ greatly in colour) are variegated with black, 
gray, and white, and the body is scarlet. Round the 
neck it has a white ruff of loose hairy feathers. The 
feathers on the back are generally quite black, and 
perfectly bright. These enormous birds, which are in- 
habitants of South America, breed among the highest 
and most inaccessible rocks. The female makes no 
nest, but laj^s two white eggs, somewhat bigger than 
those of a turkey, on the bare rock. Some writers have 
affirmed that a Condor can carry off a sheep in its claws, 
and others that it has carried off children in the same 
manner ; but these tales are manifestly absurd, as the 
