The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-01-18
BIRDS IN PERU


First OF all the BIRDS Of Peru comes
the condor. a gtaids sober-looking indi-
vilual with q black coat, white collar
and a shaven crown. 'lor an the world
as n he had taken holy orders. He has
also touch OF white on his wings
cuffs one might call them. The females
are di'inctly black nuns. without
touch OF color. though there Is a little
white On ,ncir winss Hideous brutes
they are 60 look at near 20, ana n YOU
manage 90 shoot one you Wit find him
swarmins Ua d The most loathsome par
asites; hut lhey are a grand eight 10
| against lh. sky saning swiftly on theii
Z great pWcnty-foot spread OF wings. OF
hoy.nrs Cor hours as motionless as IL
they Ncro wanted against CHE blue.
| says "a correspondent n Peru of thc y.
Y. Post
The Buzzards, or yulturas are the
most AWKWARD creature that evcr
walked the cath but Aka the condors,
grace ssh while Oh the wing. Their
/ colUng Is much the same. loo, black
and white but The males have bald red
neaI. somcthing like a turkey cocks.
These $50 birds are the scaycngors.
and if am anlmal dies Oh She tablaya.
or some great leh's carcass Is washed
ashore. they scent IL ina half an hour.
and gather to The beach in hundreds.
( They gorge and gorge for hours pung-
iug thair fcathtrlesa heads and power
ful reoks decp into the body 40 g,t at
the softer parts, pntii they ate 80 STUFF
cen they cannot move.
Iu lhe Quehradas, where there Is wat
cr-tbe oases of our Sahara beautiful
fantastic valleys with steep sides frCt-
. tel by toe rain, and Mi,h miniature for
ests or t1Ou trees and here and there
q hCWrr. % fird an imun nse variety %
bird iilc though animals are few There
are foxes add the sihe. an antelope now
and then. and very rarely tiger on
small scale more like a wildcat than
bonaa. w n-eater. But the birds are
beautiful Richly coiorcd hawks. black
and yellow, with crown Of feathers
than fails down about the neck like "A
dan'sr rle1 helmet with Chains of
gold, pig On hawks in rnottled black
ard gray brighiesing into silver on the
wings. AM sraller ones gtill with
braVe-looidrg little heads and delicate
iy curN.ng wings. | have seen one of
thCm swoon like an arrow and then ny
u u
moat twice It's size, struggling i'm its
ta'Cus while the hawk sounded it's
short shrli whistle, like an Indians
cry ~ triumph.
Thc'o are wild doves clad in purple
that Gll tho shadowy tree clumps with
plaintive melancholy cooling. There
are singing birds. TOO. some of thcm
with ox'phsi notes.-the negriia IL ac-
tive hap with a long TAI and shiny
lr.k D. hr
lively colored of all gray I'm sombei
shades Is the sweetest singer Then
comes "A lot, an golden brown. and col
ors that fash Va the light. an one lit
tie Fellow almost ike flower. with
hodv of Scar.et and ebony wings
Although 10 seems iifcles- and bare
HaE IT'S Offspring
Snakes, some big and harmless and
coinrle -s. some small gavly striped and
deadly; scorpions and lizards Of every
SIZE and hue M TO the great iguano. a
hideQls creature often q yard long. that
CARTS across ones path tail extended
and head erect. Ike sha low OF evil.
som times we ride past a small white
Owl blinking helplesslv in glarlng sun
llght and it.le birds hardly dstln-
guishahlc from the sand itself seem &C
find some means OF living in the wide
waste.
But the scrangest thing 81 an is the !
nicht- blvd although one often sees !
hem iB the DAYTIME. too). called by an I
indian raWe. which i'm English YOU !
mi2ht pronounce wara- -kaN-kav. " Is !
like large snige. with a 1uSt-colored I
body lone neck. ana tufrtd head with !
great lookiug ewes like yellow to- (
paz IL takes ITS name from its cry
which ihouh soft and sweet Is very |
r--r---T-rE. one wakes on night sometimes I
as he lies out ndcr the stars and hear. /
Us. and turns over and sleeps again feel !
iug less lonely. The bird is easily tanned T.
and ,hefN seems 70 be some sup rstjtion ;
attached .o &c. for the people keep one
or Two of hem in their houses and put F.
bells around thcir nerks ana wrap red +
1ar1el ON their long thin legs They (
do not seem 20 know themselves why 1
they keen them To me they seem like
the oprsouifcation Of the night wind
always eaeHirc. seeking. seeking.
mounrfu lonely wall
on he edge of he sen. both air and
Water .cem with ife There are dpl-
phns rolling In the breakers. or leap
ING 1n i1to the sunlight, sharks that
speed 1rrpss tha bay ike p UhrIwiBd
devWr % and moustors With long wav-
iuE arue hat thrash The water like
Gau. sea lions aud waIrusses that come
un With q snort Just hv the boat rail.
and huge turtles that sleep on thn
waves u
iu rhe air thore are enormous pelicans
and sWif' -Hving divers ana statelv
fr'gate birds. gulls of every size and
hue. and oTg-lewged lonr-billed shore
Ll.-.a- l.l4.---- ~ m
where sWar0's 80 bright red 90 hs run
aorg iu ttoonS IKE regiments OF Eno-
Ush eairv. ao or the rocks at low
NH I.r th' ~t2rish cluster iD motley
corstrlIati.ue Yes everywhere above.
below anl 1u about ne life. mysteri-
ous AMI 0ortil~.