The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-26
BIGGEST THING ON WINGS.
nIRD sHARPs SAY m II THE
GREAT CONDOR OF THE ANDES.
The Ostrich Doesn't Fly, and Isn't
In 1.-THE Condor'a Wonderful
Power at FliEht aud Ills Keen
>ight-Other coed sized birds.

From the Washington Post
The ornithologists OF Great Britain ana
America nave just finished a spirited dis
cu=sion, which has lasted for more than
year as 10 which IL the largest blrd
that n.cs. The prize has been awarded
10 an American bird the great condor OF
no Andes. To another bird. which is an
American now. has been given the second
prize. j. Is the fierce harry eagle o. tho
Philippines our own turkey comes very
near the second place. ana II England
succeeds In present attempt al reintro-
duc4ng the famous great bus,ard into the
light little island. b. win have the next
LARGEST bird 10 our turkey
lu this discussion the term 'large.t'
has been defined as meaning a bird which
has both the largest spread 81 wings and
the heaviest weight This combination Of
Two essentials has made ihe exact choice
Tor second. third ana fourth places a mat
ter OF fine calculation But there Is no
question about the choice for arst place
The condor is king.
Ia the United states we have. besides
the turkey. four other birds which are
flnked high Ia the list % tho largest birds
Tney are the beautiful golden eagle. the
national bald headed eagle. the great villa
swan known specifically 80 the whooper
and the California condor. which Is al
most A. large as his South American
brother
4 Remarkable Bird.
To- many respects the South American
condor is the most remarkable OF an llv-
INK creatures. No other bird can rs 90
high. Humbold. saw ono flying over
chimborazo az highs OF over
900 feet. II Seems TO rs as easily and
breathe as easily in the rsrehed atmos-
phere {" that great hight as Il does at
The level % the sea. No other created be-
INK can do this. as no other living crea-
lure can lift itself so far above the earth.
When flying * sails in majestic circles
or hangs poised In the air. as u suspended
there by an invisible cord. Darwin once
watched "a condor for half on hour as IL
hung over an Andcan VALLEY. ana never
once did he desect TIM slightest movement
in the great bird or its widespread pin
ions. lie home Is above the snow line.
and " chooses as iis favorite dwelling
places where great cliffs descend sheer
down for thousands OF feet Il wander
sometimes 20 where the cliffs 81 Pata-
gonia frown over the troubled seas but
prefers to seek SIS food IN the mountain
valleys. IL Is a bird blessed with an ap-
petite rs remarkable as Itself. aud one
condor has been known 60 dcvour a calf
dos and sheep in a single week. on
the other hand. it can 20 without food
for more than forty days By preference
the condor feeds on carrion. but II no car
fion offers. 81 will not hesitate 10 attack
sheep. goats or small deer
Probably no other created animal has
such keen sight as the condor From tire
mendous heights and from great distances
on II with the rush and speed of ire wind
sweeping through the mountain gorges
Though a good sized condor measures Is
feet in It's expause OF wing-coudora have
been shot with that spread-there seems
20 be no authentic record OF the weight or
condor Of that size. The weight % tho
bird Is estimated hv COOL authorities.
however. az about - pounds FOR one with
. foot spread OF wing old travellers tales
tell o. oondors with an Is foot spread OF
wing but there Is no authentic record az
n bird having been measured which comes
up 90 those figures Two fine specimens
% this condor reached the New York
Geological Society recently and are iu-
stalled now IN a cage he the Bronx Park.
New York. They are not nearly fuil
grown. but they are huge birds even a.
she present stage OF their development.
iu putting forward the claims Of ne
turkey 20 be- the third largest bird that
fef. II not the second the tame as wen
a. tho wild bird must be- taken into con-
sideratiou for the domestic turkey cer-
fainlv can rs and sometimes asceuis 70
the ''tlpmost top OF tho tallmost tree ."
though he g. not so lively on the wing ns
his wild brother THE wiki turkey.
says William r. Horulday. % the New
York Geological Gardens. Els the king %
game birds" and "A PARKWAY look comes
into mis- eyes as if he were thinking Of his
arrHH4 a
key in ZoologiCal Gardens which arrived
there last spring. beautiful specimen.
10 weighs - mounds now. and g. iucreas-
inE. Domestic turkeys OF - pounds are
not uncommon and Audubon speaks or
one which weighed 36 pounds. Bona
partc-not the great Emperor. but hts
brother. Lucion Prince OF Canlno-ln his
work on American Orniihology' speaks
~ turkeys weighing A. pounds and regards
al reports Of larger birds as fabulous"
Benjamin Franklin wanted 90 have the
turkey adopted as the national bird %
che United states instead OF the eagle
and made out a good case FOR che bird
as against the claims OF his successful
rival Why the bird In question Is called
Sc turkey has been much discussed with
ont reaching any definite conclusion. one
theory IL that the turkey named himself
hy his peculiar chuck which sounds
Ike turk. turk. turk q"
The 'urkey. however. while he has the
weight. lacks the immense spread Of wing
which birds Of the eagle tribe have. ana
this gives the harry eagle an advantage
in the competition. Untu the rccent dis
coverv OF the harry eagle in the Philip
pines II was supposed thar y existed no
whore except in South America. with
related form IN New Guinea. There IL e
splendid specimen OF the harry eagle IN
the Washington Geological Park which
weighs only twelve pounds the sea eagle
only sixteen pounds. and che Spanish inn
perial eagle only n Nttle over ten pounds,
81 will be seen that the harpy undoubtedly
IS entitled 20 be considered the largest or
eagles. n not the second largest OF flying
birds. No measurements which can be
accepted as exact scientific records have
been taken by the ornithologists Of the
length Of body and spread Of wing % this
great and fierce bird. but 70 O. established
that the bird has spread Of az least ten
10 twelve feet
The Hnrpy'- Home.
In South America the harpy lives in the
dense tropical forests and preys on small
animals When hungry. n the stories OF
the Indian natives are 20 be believed. u
viii not hesitate TO attack larger animals.
or even man himself II is probably the
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