The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-12-01
THE CONDOR OF THE ANDES.
He Scars Higher Above the Earth Than
Any other Bird.

Despite its immense size and weight, the
condor possesses the power Of rising In its
! flight to a greater distance above the earth
than any other bird, and Darwin speaks
rapturously of its grace Of motion on the
wing When the condors are wheeling
| In n flock, round and round any spot, their
| flight Is beautiful. Except when rising
/ from the ground, do not recollect ever TO
have seen one of these birds flap its wings.
Near Lima l watched several for nearly
half an hour without once taking of my
| eyes They moved in large curves, sweep
Ing in circles, descending and ascending,
without giving n single flap. 1t is truly
wonderful and beautiful TO see so great a
bird, hour after hour, without any nppar-
ent exertion, wheeling and gliding over
mountain and river Humboldt claims
that IL soars to an altitude Of at least CO.
600 feet above the sea. From the cave of
Autisana, which Is at an elevation of ~,
| 96S feet above the Pacific ocean, he OBJ
| served n condor rise perpendicularly to a
still greater height of q, $40 feet. Other
authorities state that IL reaches a height of
six miles above the sea level, which Ia
about six times the height of the ordinary
clouds.
The bird from flying at this extreme ele.
vation where the air must be SO highly
raretled, will drop suddenly TO the valleys,
thus in the briefest time passing through
an almost incredible change of tempera-
ture. At such height the air cells Of the
condor, when they have been filled in the
lower region, must be inflated in the most
extraordinary manner But the great bird
loves the heights. They are his chosen
home. Hunger alone drives him to the
| plains. As soon as his appetite is satiated
he leaves them, appearing to be oppressed
by the higher temperature and Increased
weight of the atmosphere, and returns TO
regions far above the clouds, where the air
| Is so rarefcd that man can hardly
breathe. High up as the eye can reach he
may be seen describing his graceful circles
| against the blue. From this or even
| moro lofty point of vantage he brings his
telescope eyes TO bear upon the earth, eager
| ly scanning the movements Of the herds
for the fall of some weakening member Of
the flock. No sooner does poor creature
drop than down rush the condors to the
! feast.
In spite of the keenness Of a hunger
sharpened by one knows not how many
days of watching upon the wing at that
frigid altitude, our condor begins his re
past daintily, tasting first the tongue and
eyes, his chosen tidbits. But soon, fired
by the sight of the beautiful banquet
which death has spread for him, he tears
the tough hide, and wildly pulling with
his beak, pushing with his feet and flap
ping his wide wings gorges himself, gulp-
ing down great bits Of flesh, and riots with
out stint until he can hold no more. Fair
| ly drunken with his revolving feast, he nc
longer has power to raise himself upon the
wing. Knowing this, the Indians will Of
ten place a dead animal as a lure upon tn,
plains. When the birds have becom,
gorged and unable to fly, the Indians ap
pear and moose them with the lasso-i
sport which they find scarce less exciting
than the Spaniard does his bull fight
Popular Science Monthly.