14 
CONDOR. 
birds. The latter place before their progeny the quivering limbs 
of their prey, that they may learn to employ their beak and 
talons. The Vultures, whose claws are not fitted for seizing and 
bearing off their spoils, disgorge into the mouth of their young 
the contents of their crop, from the nature of which this operation, 
so interesting when performed by a dove or a canary, becomes 
in this case one of the most disgusting imaginable. 
According to Belon, the Latin name Vultur is but a contraction 
of volatu tardo: the name Cathartes imagined by Illiger, means 
in Greek, purger. Condor is a corruption of Cuntur , the true 
appellation of our species in the Qquichua language, derived, 
according to Humboldt, from the verb cunturi, to smell. 
Although the largest of American Vultures, the Condor is 
inferior in size to several of those which inhabit the old continent, 
sexes are very nearly of equal size; but the superiority, if any, is 
found as usual upon the side of the female; so that the common 
statement of writers, that this sex is of less size, has no foundation 
in fact. 
The adult male is always more than three feet long, and 
measures nine feet from tip to tip of the extended wings. Some 
gigantic individuals are met with four feet long and twelve in 
extent. The bill is dark brown colour at the base, somewhat 
of a lemon white at tip. The tongue is entire, cartilaginous, 
membranous, ovate-cuneate, concave beneath, serrated with spines 
on the margin. A longitudinal compressed caruncle, or firm 
fleshy crest extends from the top of the head to the front, and to 
the brown portion of the bill. It is rounded before and behind, 
a sinus on the upper border, the lower free for a short space at 
each extremity, papillous, or strongly wrinkled, and, as well as 
the cere, of a bluish colour. The nostrils are oval-linear, and 
with no hairs surrounding them. The skin of the neck and crop 
r .. V r- . 
.v.: sliSl 
