Omaha daily bee., 1885-02-20
THE CAPTURE OF 7uE CONDOR
How the Monarch OF the South Amer.
lean Mountains IL Ensnarsd,

it.elt most re Idily to the uapLets art.
1.-TWO Ct these birds will attack a COW or
llama and kill it with thoir TERRIBLE besks
and claws, " says Rev. j. G. Wood, aud,
added to this Strength and proves. there
Is i unparalleled power of fight, which
enables 1t to hunt the preserves of half-a.
dozen states, Cross the vastest mountain
iauges in search of a new meal, or hang
suspended on the watch for prey at a
height when even It's monsttous expsnse
Of wing is reduced to an almost invisible
point Yet cNr,on and "a nsksd saw
age bring this monarch among b rjs to
grief. They are taken alive by the Mex.
icsn Indians aud ha f breeds In a manner
which, though simple in itself, requires
both nerve and s rength in the trap.
per. The sole apparatus consists of q
ne wly.fsyei skin OF a COW or buf.
falo. This the Indian places on the
ground hsir downward on s1me bare spot
fr%squentsd by large birds of prey, and
then; crawling underneath, turns over
on his back and waits. In a sho.t time
a condor comes overhead, wheels round
and descends on the hide. Jmmedist 'ly
his falcons touch the skin, the Indian
seizes the legs, and starting up, over
whelms the bird and binds him with
thongs kept ready-a process, however,
which usually meets with q very stubborn
resistance. 1t is just this weakne,s for
rank flesh that is Tho betrayal of all val
ture kind. All through the east it seems
as though nature had kept especially in
mind the scsvengering duties # these her
too often hideous childrenf and meat With
that g,meyness which is produced by a
few days exposure to a tropical spn Ia an
irresistible attra ,tion to them. The,'Andes
type is no BITTER. The wandering
tribes take it by placing a dead horse i'll
an advanced state of unsavorins IS within
q high waffle inclosuie, and n~oosing the
glut5ed birds when they have fed too
freely to rise readily. And in much the
ssms way, according to Tschudt, In one
of the Pspuen PROVINCES, there exists q
deep natural funnel shaped cavity in the
side Of a certain valley. This is
util'z ed by the Ind an as a
ready made trap for capturing condo,s
They place q dead horse or muls on the
brink of this hollow, and The pecking
and Juggling of the giant birds presently
roll 1t down the declivity. Inc birds
follow, and, being heavy and gorged,
arc unable to ascend sg+iu, clubs and
stones inishieg off the ulfgasting revel
ers to the last one.
Mr.. William Schultz, writing to The
| American Forest and Stresm, gives a
curious picture of the supersutions at.
tsndant on the procuring Of eagls plumes
for the hi ad DIR. s,es and robes Of
"brave,." He says: "Arother ingen
ious method prac'i;ed by the Blsckfees
| indians IF North America was the Pts.
tsis.tse-kay for catching eagles. Pr
haps of all the articles used for personal
adorrmeut eagle feathers vera the most
highly priced. They were not only used
to decorate head.dreMe', garments, and
shields, but they were bela as a standard
of value. A few lodges CT people In
need of eagle feathers would leave the
main camp and move up to the foothills
where eagle feathers are gen,
orally more numerous thar out on the
prairie. Having arrived at a good lc
cality, each man selec ed q small knoll or
hill, and with q stone knife and such
other rude implements a, he possessed
dug a Fit In the top of it large ero7gt
for him to lie in. Within arms length
of the mouth of the pit he securely peg
ged a wolfskin to the ground, which hae
previously tesn stuffed with grass t.
make 1t lock as life-like as possible
Then, cutting q slit In it's side, he insert
Ell q large piece of tough bull-meat ant
daubed the hair about the slit with BLOOD
and liver. In the evening, when all hat
returned to camp, an eagle dance wa
held, in which everyone part cipa'ed
Eagle songs were sung, whistles made o
eagle wing bones were blown, and tn
"medioine men" prayed earnestly f.
success. The next morning the ner
ar SO Def rs daylight. and smoked tw'
pipes to the sun. Then each one told hi
wives and ell the women of hi
family II t to 60 out or look GU
of the lodge until he returned, and not t
l use an avn or needle at any kind of work
for if they d d the eagles would surel.
scratch him, but to sing the eagle spg
aud pray for his good auccess. Then
without eating anything, each man tool
. a human skull and repaired to his pit
Depositing the skull In one end of 1t, h
carefully covered the mouth over wit
slender willows and grass, and, lyin
uONu, pllioW ~ uio hchu jill u w i ou'
ava ted for the eagles to co ne. With tn
Ii:ing of the sun came all tbs little birds
r the gooi-ror nothing birds, the crows
. ravens, and hawks, but with a | ng
sh4rp-priutei s lex the wa cher 6eftl
: pok d hem off the wolf.sbin T~LcIaven
we're mos. persistent in trying to le'c
on the skin, and every time they wer
i, pr ked eff would loudly cro,k
Whenever sn eagle was en-
.. ing The watcher woull kuow 1t
: for all the tile bids would fly a way, a.
shortly an eagls would come down with
, lu,h AID | ght on the ground. Often
W, uld sit on the ground fer a long tim
, p unpg i 5 feathers AID locking ahoot
. During this time the watcher was earnest
: ly praying 10 the ssu | and to The sur t
|, G We HIM power to capture the eagle, an
all the time his h art wm beasirg f
. loacly that he thought the bird Won
surely he,r il. At last, when the Gag
hal per he'd on tho wolf kin and vi
bust y plucking at the tough bull mea
the wat her would eau i 'us'y sire oh OF
his hands, and grAsplng the bud firmly /
i tia feet quick y b.ar IL do@n int, tt
cave, VIII. TO he crushed in its bresss W.T.
his knee.
In Scotland the eagle, il Is said rs oftf
captured alive by a method wy sim L
y to tho, 10 employed in taking its k ndr,
IN South America. A circular tpa
~t8clse feet In diameter, is inc'ossd on
/, spur of hills haunted by the birds, snd
peat wall ak feet high built round |