The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-18

THE PEST OF THE ANDES.
A Fruitless War Against the Condor-An
Americans Unsuccessful Efforts.
New York Times.
carrying on novel war" said Cornelius w.
Ryerson, of this city, who arrived here from
South America recently, land that is a war OF
determination against the gigantic vulture Of
the Andes the condor. The government issued
proclamation last year declaring the bird to be
an enemy of the republic. Condors have in
creased so rapidly within the past few years all
along the whole western slope of the great mount
ain chair which is their habitat that they have
become by their foul habits scourge that has
increased the already sufficiently unwholesome
character Of the country. With the hope OF ex-
terminating them, or at least greatly decreasing
their numbers, the government IN its prccaina-
ton, offered a bounty of So for every condor
killed. friend of mine who lives in Chill,
wrote to me that he believed there was chance
to make great deal Of money by engaging iE
condor hunting, and as had several years ex-
perience in mountain climbing and hunting all
sorts OF wild beasts and BIRDS both in this and
other countries went down there last fall to
see what there might be in this condor hunting.
Well, was there five months and after a rer~
sistent campaign against the condor with guns
and traps made up my mind that a man has
got to be hundred per cent smarter than am
if he ever gets rich on condor bountes, and that
if the CHILEAN government expects to rid itself
Of its big winged outlaw, 1t will have to detail
every man, woman and child in the country TO
take up arms against It.
1.-THE hunting of condors has been a regular
business in the Andes mountains for many
years. and the natives have made some money
at it, but, like all the vulture family, the condor
grows suspicious and wary from contact with
mankind, and 1t has grown to know and fear a
gun so that 1t is next to impossible to get within
gunshot of one. Shares are now the only means
hu xvh hn falya pxvifb
tainty, and they have learned. to be on the look
out for them. These birds have the most won
derful powers of vision and fight of any living
creature of the air. Perched on mountain peaks
above the clouds, they watch the trails which
mules and namas follow with their burdens
thousands of feet below them, and if an animal
dies and is left on the plain these monster vul-
lures see it, and although no human sight can
discover the presence of single bird. in few
seconds time they will be seen dropping down
from the clouds like thunderbolts. Formerly
the hunter took advantage of this swooping
down upon the carcasses of dead animals by
hiding within gunshot and picking off one or
two condors before they could rise out of range
Traps were also set beside dead bodies of muller
and other animals. But this can rarely be done
successfully now so wary has the condor be
come The same wonderful eyes that keep the
trailing caravan in view or discover the carcass
left lying for it's use, notes also the hunter hid
ing with his gun, or the trapper arranging his
snare by the carcase, and the bird remains In
IL.
unless you are fortunate enough to lie secreted
near some lofty peak when the bird comes sail
ing through the clouds to seek it for perch, is
entirely out of the question, for it flies at alti
tudes such as no otner bird attains. This lying
in wait, however, far above TIE snow line for q
chance to put ball through condor is some
thing that requires more grit and nerve than the
average hunter can boast and consequently
there are not many condors killed on the wing.
These birds hatch their young among the snow
covered crags of the Andes, sometimes IL, 900
feet above the sea, and the bird has been seen at
an altitude of 20, 600 feet. Once in great while
you may hear of some hunter bold enough to
Chamber to the nesting places among these crags
in search of condor nests as the capture of the
young OF the eggs is profitable as killing
grown bird, but such exploits are few and far
between. There are always two eggs in nest
and rs there is nothing that ventures to make
the condor its prey except the hunter when a
condor makes ats nest it does with more GER
tainty that there will be more of its kind added
to the family In the course of time than does
any other bird or beast Traps are set as high
among these nesting places as the hunter can
dare venture, and many of the birds are cap
tured in that way.
There is no more startling sight than from
some snowy rock so high in the mountains that
the clouds hide the world from Your view, to see
one of these immense birds break suddenly
through the dense vapor below you, and sail up
ward with the broad sweep of its ponderous
wings into the haunts where it dwels alone In
daring to seek the realms of the sky. This bird
can stand a range of temperature beyond which
human existence is impossible and is at home
among the snowy peaks of Chill and Peru. as
well as upon the burning sands of Patagonia.
With sweep of wing twelve feet in extent the
swiftness of condors flight is such that it will
sail out of sight, Notwithstanding its great SIZE
within the space of very few minutes. 1t may
with ease eat its breakfast in the northern
Andes, and twelve hour later go to roost among
the peaks of the southern sea coast.
IF it were possible to get at the nests of the
condor so that its eggs might be destroyed there
might be some chance that the outlawed bird
would in time be exterminated, but the sys
tematie scaling of icy peaks to the height of any
where from II. 600 to 49, 900 feet above the ocean
for the purpose of bird nesting, even at So nest
is not likely to ever come to pass. Poisoning of
the birds might be made effectual, but unless
some poison can be made so deadly that it will
kill the bird as 1T stands over the carcass it is
devouring, that means of determination cannot
be made practical The hunter must produce
the evidence that he has killed condor before
he can secure the bounty. That evidence is the
birds head. A poisoned bird would carry off
that evidence with him, and die with it among
inaccessible peaks The poisoning of condors
has been tried and was not satisfactory to the
hunters am of the opinion that this bird has
the quality of self-preservation developed too
largely to make its humiliation even remotely
probable. When the last South American dies
there will be plenty of condors ready to devour
his body if they have the opportunity
An Actresses Classic Feet.
New York World
Miss Estele Clayton who is to appear on
Tuesday night, at the Union square Theater. in
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