The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03
HUNT FOR A CONDOR'S EGG.
A VARIETY WORTH $1,000 OR MORE
EACH TO COLLECTORS.
Mission OF an Engiishman In California VINO Is
Getting Rare birds EExs for a Ho'nsen'd
Valuable Eggs and EGGS Z" 'ommo"
Birds That Man Has never SEE"
p,.a.rr. ana pronts OF Egg Collectins.

Birds That Man HAS Ne'e' 80
Pleasure and Fronts OF Egg So'ee''"s
Los ANGELES, Cal. May ?L-Herbert Nj
Beesley of Bournemouth, England who has beer
engaged for two wears in collecting birds eggs
for one of the Younger Rothschilds in London
came IN the coast from MaZatlan. Mexico, inc
other day. During the next few months ne VIII
be engaged in gathering eggs OF a Few species
Of rdptorce. or birds Of prey, that are touno no.
where else than on the edges Of deserts IN A.
zona and northern Mexico. Then he WI make
an extraordinary effort toward securing the egg
of the California condor among the sierraS'
There Is no egg. since the extinction oi 'he
great aux. more highly priced by biologists mar
that of the California condor.
Il am not ut all s~ancuine OF success in tha'
| line" said he, but | have been Informed OF a
locality among the highest Sierras where hard
and thorough exploration may possibly yleln =
California condor's egg II one j. To he picRed "p
nowadays. believe the last egg of this variety
was found in 1887, ard was sold to the Ames
collection of Boston for something Ike sSu'
So the chance is worth taking, There are sew
eral biologists Of my personal acquaintance VINO
would not hesitate TO pay 81 600 or $1,000 Tor an
egg Of n California or Sierra condor. l have
known Of even more than 81, 500 having been pald
for such an egg. The egg Of the great aux Is
beyond market value nowadays. There are
| only about forty-fvc In the world. and the bird
a III ~ 800
"Why are the eggs Of the California condor
SO valuable? Because the birds are almost eX-
tinct now, and will be wholly extinct in less than
ven sr''e' ""u i,
o"u ~ IT, " mn.amn,on h,,-
tr-a' r"n, ~. g. ,ri,h ,ho
""'" VI '"N,' M. ~, - ,ho
'"''".' m-.--e"uo.,
o""e 49,. 49,, : ,os,
,ne" i",S V. .a.o,,,
N"'"m' =, .,,,., -,
Nv =" IN ~
~" h"'0"'o"N W We" """'""'
"'''ooo''",,"
."S "''N v" ''"'
ter'n'e oe'"''n NV res'" ''F' "''' Wv
sahl' S'"''eo v '''"""
ann u rop.nS !" ,onu'. 'tt" "'n"'' WV
rs DIX IL NV ou""H'u wv - "l'Ne !" ~
pe"rahct' ~ y io" ""u o"e-'t"'e' .N"
long ana wv" anu ohr-h"l ih.heS III 'hVNhrN>'
ana VIII holn nine "'nu ouhcesoi waVer' lnc"'"'
hlSo' n palf Treeh'Sh que ana reSen""eS no
other egg in respect 10 size and color excert
that Of the Furopenn swan. The buzzard's egg
-. ..u a.. .Lh... ,.L.
IS nov much Digger man .fichrnS' H.S !"
deep creamy tint, blotched and smeared with
nod brown chocolate. and NOT infreouen,lv
lavender spots
The condor lays one or a pair or eggs during
n se1son while the huz,ard laws half n dozen
- ri. 49,. -.
OF more Inc puZHaru u common 10 ,ne "holN
United States, while the North American con-
dor IA macmillan IN California II IL totally
r. 49,. -, a.. 49,
d'nereht from inc erea' Anues cohuor oe'he
nearly twice as big N is. in fact. the largest
$780, T., aoun.rsor rho Consornio oonaor
puny IN comparison Inc 'ahIorhla condor
spread Of wing varies from eight to twelve
rev w ""S." |, """G NV nF'' ""u ~
weight from twenty 10 TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS
n il a repulsive, uncanny bird with its bald
ne"' "'u ua'' wv 49, mo ""u
its enormous Wr'hkIeo' serpeht-llke comb
extending from its head below the fierce tenk
T., al, /, soors HIGHER than onv o,ho- ,oo,h-
III u'e" y 7o"7 "s" -" M wv ie"'n-
cred creature ana sails through the AR win
infinite ease and grace. In contrast the buzz
,ard ia baavv and clumsy A distinguisbino
n''" " 80 -
feature oi the TWO olruS III nlRht Is the large
white blotch under the wings Of the condor, which
:. ,,issi,, In tho buv>ord An, r,ooo Ia cood
enough ,or me onnon nnrSery. thar j., u y
Is iar emouHn from nan 10 De sHle ne o,rd
- ,,Tu".h ~ ."
Calltles that even II on" Goul1 discover us eggs
ne never couId reach !, 80 iar Is known
there are nhlN nIle conuor rgss w me colI"c..
tons OF me various rclehtnc institutions OF
America, me iast I'VE were recenty secured
ny the Natonal museum % Washington. by
various professors a. lnr Eastern DnstltItlons
the eggs were recenuv vnllen at 81 MOO apiece,
"Sneaklng ABOUT rare p,rns eggs on the
Pacific Coast reminds me mat the egg Of the
golden eagle y iast GrowlhG more valuable
nowadays there mas peeh an unusual decima,
uon OF eolueh eagleS nnluhs ,ht S,ierraS ana
A dozen years ago eggs OF The golden eagle
could, be bouGnt IN lnhdoh ana New York
for ABOUT ~ apiece Two Years ago several
golden eagle eggs S1lu NJ hncuoh Ior ~ each.
and don Know Wh,re 'he, could ne Dough-
now Tor 20 apiece ne GOLDEN eagle has be-
land; century ago tne Drds han tnelr ey,rles
BY the hnmdredS on lhs prrrlnlces OF .mmber-
land ana W,esunorelhhu mere are sun some
golden eagles among the h'Hn nrarS OF the
Horn ,He9n, the mountain OF foscheen,. IN
ireland Inc rocks aho craes OF me NILS or
the lIttle STANDS W tne ocean on the coast OF
California were Salu ,elnhvp oeen me eNrles or
q thousand OF golden eagles nan a century ago,
bnt scarceli nne VI tmt oruS now remains
there TO deck the sannscape
The ,huiter OF enIuen "dSleeggs earns every
penny there Is IN Iie seennhelN large price
they COMMAND ~ 'mr IT. Ilhce' even tle
mar. VINO epS aI.tr eoIuen tHRl' 'SRS may
not be able 70 ioCat~ n NEST Oh eggs LOT months
or even years ~ une srcond place., the eyre
OF the eolueI taslt p',ceu nn 'n- race ol
some stupehdous oIn or ,o"etlhg crag Inc
nest j. mace on u pl',n''!nE Nn'll OF on some
rnarled sui,npeu 'Iee .,dL grows IRON a cl'ft
IN rock aln,oS. 'hEaIlapS We nrs, Is IN n
SITUATION perleVnN 'hdt'rS9'ple "llnou' eN.
trhordihArv WUIlclai mcdhH ana hlEard or
human NE; ) h hntit seer e~t 81 soma re- splpen eagle