Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-05-02
THE PEST OF THE ANDES.
An OutIawed Bird OF Chill Defying Its
Enemies.

| ne Inlllan government mas ueCldr-
ed and is carrying out a novel war" said
Cornelius w. Ryerson Of this city, who
arrived here from South America recent
ly, "and that is 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 increased so rapidly
within the past few years all along The
whole western slope OF the great noun
tain chain which is their habitat that
they have become by their foul habits a
scourge that has increased the already
sufficiently UNIV holesome character of
the country. With the hope of exter-
minating them, or at least greatly de-
creasing their numbers, the government
in its proclamation offered a ., bounty of
S. for every condor killed. g..
"a friend of mine, who lives Chill,
wrote to me that he believed there was
a chance to make great deal of money
by engaging in condor hunting, and as l
had several years experience in noun
tain 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 persistent campaign
against the condor with guns and traps,
1 made up my mind that q man has got
to be hundred per cent. smarter than l
am il he ever gets rich on condor boun-
ties, and that if the Chilian government
expects to rid itself of its big winged
outlaw. it will have to detail every man,
woman and child in the country to take
up arms against it.
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 tho
vulture family, the condor grows suspi-
cious and waly from contact with man.
kind, AM il has grown to know and fear
a gun so that it is next to impossible TO
get within gunshot ofone.
"Snars5 are now the only means by
which condors may be taken with any
certainty, AID they have learned to be
on the lookout for them. These birds
have the most wo lderful powers of Wis
ion and flight of any living creature of
the air. Perched on mountain peaks
above the clouds, they watch the trails
which mules and lamas follow with
their burdens thousands of feet below
them, and if an animal dies and is left
on the plain these monster yultures see
it, and although no human sight can
discover the presence Of single bird, in
few seconds time they will be seen
dropping from the clouds like thunder
bnlts. Formerly the hunter took ad-
vantage 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 mules and other animals.
"But this can rarely be done success
fully 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 its use
} notes also the hunter hiding with his
gun, or the trapper arranging his snare
py the carcass, and the bird remains in
, safety on IT'S perch. To shoot it on the
wing, unless you are fortunate enough
to lie secreted near some lofty peak
, when the bird comes sailing through
, the clouds to seek it for perch, Is en-.
tirely out of the question, for it flies al
I attitudes such as no other bird attains
This living in wait, however, far above
y the snow liue for a chance to put bal
9 through condor is something that re-
quireS more gIit and nerve than the av
r erage hunter can boast, and conse quent.
q ly there are not many cCndors killed or
the wing. These birds hatch theil
o young among the snow covered crags OF
I the Andes, sometimes 10000 feet above
!. the sea, and the bird has been seen a
7 an altitude of 10000 feet. Once in
o great while you may hear of some hun
o ter bold enough TO Chamber to the nest
ing places among these crags in search
of condor nests, as the capture of tht
young or the eggs is as profitable as kill
ing a grown bird, but such exploits ar,
l. few and far between. There are alway
n two eggs in "a nest, and, as there Is noth
:, ing that ventures to make the condor it
" prey except the hunter, when condo
L makes its nest it does so with more Ger
70 tainty that there will be more of it
,e kind added to the family in the cours
= of time than does any other bird o
= beast. Traps are set as high amon
ot these nesting places as the bunter cal
lr dare to venture, and many of the bird
% are captured i'll that way.
III There is no more startling sight thal
u from some snowy rock, so high in tn
r. mountains that the clouds hide tn
D. world from your view, to see one G
10 those immense birds break suddenl
= through the dense vapor below you an
u sail upward with the bread sweep of il
10 pouderous wings into the haunts wEer
ID il dwells alone in solitude. 1t seem
k. like some winged demon daring to see
ID the realms of the sky. This bird ca
at stand range Of temperature beyon
re which human existence is impossibl,
Id and is at home among the snowy peak
Of Chill and Peru as we'll as upon tn