Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1884-08-22
KILLING OF THE cONDoRs.
n War OF ExteFnin alton ON the MON.
arch OF Vultures.

war OF E1teRun1n alton ON the Nom
arch OF vulsures.
q = New Orleans Times DemocratI
The announcement that the CHILEAN
government has declared q war of exter-
IMITATION against the monarch of vul-
tures--the condor-and offers Is for
every condor killed, justifes some re-
marks as to the possibility of the Chill
ian government realizing its purpose.
The condor has indeed been declared
''an enemy to the republic" and con-
dor hunting has become highly lucra-
tive business; but when one takes into
consideration the astounding powers of
the bird and it's wonderful habits, one
finds it hard to believe that the govern
~ment can ever succeed in destroying the
species at any price. Shooting it on the
wing is almost out of the question, for
it sails at attitudes far beyond the reach
of the human eye, and roosts on peaks
UNNECESSARILY above the clouds. IL has
been seen at attitudes of 1000 feet.
1t can withstand variations of tempera-
ture beyond human endurance, and
matches its young above the snow line
nevertheless, it rests quite comfortably
on the burning sands of the southern
seacoast. 1t haunts the whole western
slope of the Andes-not only Chilli, but
Peru, Bolivia and Patagonia
With the vast spread of its wings
often exceeding twelve feet it can per
form prodigious journeys in few hours
Its eye is miraculously keen, for when
no bird is visible in the sky, even with
the aid of a powerful glass, if mule or
other animal in a convoy fall or die, the
condors instantly drop upon it like light
ming from heaven. Latterly the birds
have so increased as to form veritable
scourge Notwithstanding the fact that
the female lays but two eggs at time,
and that condor hunting has been reg
ular and lucrative calling for more than
quarter of century. Traps are the
only reliable means of catching them;
but the day will certainly como when
traps shall be Of no avail whatever. Con-
doris have already learned to fear gun;
and with their wonderful sight it is alb
solutely impossible to get even within
rifle range of them. Birds soon learn to
avoid danger, as has been proved since
the erection of telegraph lines in the
United States; few are now killed by
lying against the wires. 1t will be
strange that the condor does not learn
to avoid snares instinctively.
when the birds find life in Chill or in
Peru unusually difficult they have only
to migrate further south or north, and
propagate their species in other alti-
tudes, until they become so numerous as
to migrate again to those regions which
outlawed them. Then the work of de-
struction would have to be done all over
All things considered it seems impossible |
to exterminate such race of vultures
unless means Of destroying their eggs
can be devised; but nobody-not even
Mr.. Graham-would undertake to scale
icy peaks 10, 900 or 90, 900 feet high for
such purpose. The condor is certainly
gifted with rare powers of sef-preserva
ton, and it is not unlikely his hinge
shadow may float above the corpse of
the last South American in that lurid
twilight preceding the worlds final dis
solution