63 
captivity, its bones seeming to be very brittle—a slight blow 
or even a misstep being sometimes sufficient to break a leg. 
The Condor (Sarcorhamphus gryphus) is the largest of the 
vultures, rivaling and even exceeding in size the bearded 
vulture or Lammergeyer of the Alps. 
They do not build nests, but commonly live in pairs on the 
bare rock, high up among the lofty peaks of the Andes, from 
which they soar to a height almost beyond the range of 
human vision, plunging down only when their keen sight 
discovers the carcass of some dead animal on the plains be¬ 
low. They live mostly on carrion, but when pressed by 
hunger, it is said that several of them will sometimes band 
together, to attack a young calf or a disabled animal out of 
the herd, and with blows of their powerful beaks and claws 
destroy it. The sexes are very similar, but the female lacks 
the caruncles on the head and the wattles on the throat, pos¬ 
sessed by the male. 
The California Vulture (.Pseudogryphus californianus) 
reaches almost the size of the condor. This species was for¬ 
merly abundant on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, 
in southern California, but has become almost extinct within 
a few years. They may be regarded as a great rarity in liv¬ 
ing collections. 
THE CALIFORNIA VULTURE. 
