The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-12-08

bird, its waving wings, its uncanny
appearance. SO demoralized the horses
that they snorted, bucked and en-
deavored to run away. But they
were quickly subdued and the flying
condor was brought down with a jerk
Jand the two birds were surrounded by
the excited riders.
Then followed a curious exhibition.
The two birds began an extemporized
dance around the circle, hopping like
eagles, first on one foot, then on the
other. uttering a low and vicious hiss.
around they went, pecking at the
ropes, thrusting forward their bare
and ugly heads, and apparently sub
dued.
But it was only for a moment As
If by concerted plan they hurled them.
selves at the horses, one on one side
and n on the other, coming up
against the animals with great force,
striking them with their ponderous
wings and pecking at them with their
powerful bills.
This onslaught again demoralized
one of the horses, so that, rearing to
escape the charge, he fell backward.
His rider slipped off in time, while the
broncho rolled over and over, en-
tangled in the reata. The bird, prob
ably equally frightened, sprang over
his body, and. between a fusillade of
kicks from the struggling animal, en-
deavored again to fly. But the rope
held it securely, and even a California
condor, with a spread of ten feet of
wing, could not carry off a horse; so
it was forced to come clumsily to the
ground.
The riders, now recovered from their
confusion. amid much laughter-as
this was a rare but famous sport
among native Californians-began to
take in their reatas, and soon had the
great birds so that they were entirely
submissive; and as they We're unin-
jured, it was decided to carry them to
Los Angeles. This was accomplished
by carrying Il bird between two horses,
the wings spread apart to their full
extent, and the tips of the pinions tied
to the saddles; while beneath the
birds, to support them Sc that they
would not suffer, were placed doubled
reatas.
At first the horses seriously objected
to this arrangement, but finally sub
mitted, and the cavalcade look up its
march, entering Los Angeles, which
then an adobe town, and
the condors at the plaza
amid much excitement, the birds be.
coming one of the chief attractions OF
the fiesta.
The California condor was formerly
quite common, and was regarded as an
enemy to the herder. its great size and
appetite making it a menace
to sheep. Actual experiment showed
that one of these birds would devour a
sheep a day; and to illustrate their
strength, four have been seen drag
ging a young bear, which weighed
over one hundred pounds, for a dis
tancc of six hundred feet. When
gorged with food. the birds found it
to fly, and were thus, when
often taken with the reata.
The California condor is very like its
American ally in general ap-
p%earance. not having the peculiar
white collar. 1t is far from being
ferocious, and is easily tanned or do
mesticated. 1t presents an appearance
of remarkable strength, and its pow
ers of flight are such that it could
carry away Il child or a light
Such habits are often laid at
its door, but are not founded on fact.
the bird rarely, if ever, attacking hui
man beings. and being totally unable