CONDOR. 
13 
till he is satisfied, and only permits them to enjoy the fragments 
of the prey he has conquered. With the same expectation of 
feeding upon the leavings, they attend upon the ferocious quad¬ 
rupeds of the Cat kind, and may thus indicate the vicinity of these 
dangerous beasts. That it is cowardice which prevents them 
from attacking animals capable of making any defence is evident. 
The innate cruelty of their disposition is often manifested towards 
the helpless. To a deserted lamb they show no mercy, and living 
serpents and whatever other minor animals they can overpower 
are their usual food. They are also, it is said, extremely fond of 
crocodiles’ and alligators’ eggs, to obtain which they keep watch 
unseen in the adjacent forest while the female is laying, and as 
soon as she is gone descend, and removing the sand where they 
are buried, greedily devour them. 
The Vultures are mostly found in warm climates, although by 
no means afraid of cold, as they prefer the vicinity of lofty 
mountains ; those which inhabit in the north retiring southward 
in winter in the northern hemisphere. Their favourite abodes are 
rocks and caverns among broken precipices, where they retire 
to sleep and to digest their meals when overfed, which happens as 
often as an opportunity offers: in such retreats they may be often 
observed in great numbers together, enjoying the exhilirating 
air of the morning. Their nest is made with hardly any prepa¬ 
ration on inaccessible cliffs or other places where they can seldom 
be found by man. They reside generally where they breed, 
seldom coming down into the plains, except when frost and 
snow have driven all living things from the heights: they 
are then compelled to brave danger in pursuit of food. The 
Vultures generally lay but two eggs at a time, sometimes three 
or four, especially the North American species; and are faithfully 
monogamous. In their mode of supplying their young with food, 
there is a striking difference between them and other rapacious 
VOL. iv.— D 
