Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-10-26
CnaracteriSfIcS Of tha Condor.

FroI. oames Orton's paper at the Troy
meeting OF the Association for the Advance
ment OF Science contained the following in
terestlng account of this wonderful bird
"Flfty years have elapsed since the frs
specimen reached Europe, yet to-day the
exaggerated stories of its size and strenptl
are repeated In many Of our text books, and
the very latest ornithological work leaves
US IN GOuot as to it's relation to the other
vultures. No one credits the assertion OIL
the old geographer, Marco Polo, that the
condor can lift an elephant from the ground
hlgh enough to kill it by the fall; nor the
story OF the traveller, SO late as 1880, who
declared that a condor of moderate size
just Killed was lying before him, single
quill feather Of which was twenty PAGES
long. Yet the statement continues to be
published that the ordinary expanse OF
a fuil grown condor is from fifteen
to twenty feet, whereas it is very
ooubtfui II 1t ever exceeds or even
equals twelve feet. I have a full
grown male from the most celebrated 10.
cality OF the Andes, and the stretch of its
wings is nine feet. Humboldt never
found one to measure over nine teet: and
the largestspecimen which Darwin saw was
81 feet from tip to tip. An old male in the
Geological Gardens of London measures
IL feet. It IS not yet settled that this
greatest of unclean birds is generally
distinct from the other vultures. It's
usual habitation is between the aIti-
tudes of 10000 and 10000 feet.
The largest seem to make their home
around the volcano of Cayambi, which
stands exactly on the equator They are
most commonly seen around vertical cliffs,
perhaps because their nests are there; and
also because cattle are likely to fall there.
Flocks are never seen except around a
large carcass. 1t is often seen singly soar
ing at a great height in vast circles. It's
fight is slow. 1t never flaps it's
wings in the air, but It's head is al.
ways in motion as if in search
of food below. Its mouth is kept
open and its tail spread. To rise from
the ground it must needs run for some
distance; then it flaps its wings three times
and scars away. A narrow pen is therefore
sufficient to imprison it. Ia walking the
wings trail on the ground and the head
takes crouching position. Though car
rion bird it breaJhes the purest air, spend
ing much of its time soaring three miles
over the sea. Humboldt saw one fy over
Chimborazo. I have seen them sail
ing at least one Thousand feet above
the crater of Pichincha. It's german
dizing power has hardly been over
stated. l have known q single condor, not
of the largest size, to make way in one
week with q calf, sheep and dog. It
prefers earrion, but will sometimes attack
live sheep, deer, dogs, &c. The eyes and
tongue ofa carcass are the favorite parts
and first devoured; next, the intestines. I
never heard an authenticated case Of its
carrying off children, nor of its attacking
adults, except in defence of it's eggs. In
captivity it viii eat everything except pork
and tried or boiled meat. When full fed it
is exceedingly stupid, and can be caught
by the hand; but at other times it is a
match for the stoutest man. 1t passes the
greatest part of the day sleeping, search
ing for prey in the morning and evening.
It is seldom shot. Though it is not invul-
nerable, as once thought,) but is gen.
orally caught in traps. The only
noise it makes is hiss like that Of q
goose-the usual trachaa muscles being
wanting It lays two white eggs on an in
accessible ledge. 1t makes no nest proper
but places 3 few sticks around the eggs.
BY no amount of bribery could tempt an
Indian to search for condors' eggs, and Mr..
Smith, who had hunted nearly twelve years
in the Quito Valley, was never able to get
sight OF one. Incubation occupies about
seven weeks, ending in April or May, in
Patagonia much earlier, or about February.