The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-09
THAT CONDOR Is OUR CONDOR
LIKE TO KNOW HOW FRISCO EYER
HEARD or IT.

There Was = Certain Telegram Addressed
TO . Man Named Follett Containing
Our InfOrmatlO n-s'pose Somebody
Besldes Follstt opened His Telegram.
The chairman Of the committee on birds
and game Of the Pacific Coast Forest, Fish
and Game Association writes as follows
To THE EDIToB OF THE SuN-Sir | am
indebted to a recent issue Of your paper
for certain valuable information, namely,
the fnai destination OF a specimen OF the
California condor, taken eaHt by gentle
man recently In tbs employment OF the
above association but discharged there
from for causes. / have tried to locate
the condor, as It waa the property Of our
association and removed from our custody
without our knowledge. had informed
Mr.. Hornaday In New York to that effect
as from telegram | saw In San Francisco
Il was presumed he was the consignee,
but this he denied.
Several months ago had communicated
with our agent at Santa Maria, Cal,
who ultimately purchased the bird for our
association. II was after this had been
done that Mr.. Follhtt obtained the posses
sion Of II, as the sellers friend states by
representing himself ~ an agent Of your
local park or zoo. Any information Mr..
Follett gained OF this specimen was while
he was In the employment Of the asso-
citation. 1t took long persuasion and
by forcing a correspondence to convince
the simple herder, the original owner Of
the bird. that he Follett) was the rightful
purchaser.
Had our agent In Santa Maria teleRraphed
the abduction OF our property instead Of
writing to w the condor would never have
left California.
These are simple facts and now, when
the final location Of the bird "a known,
We shall take other measures TO expose
the undue ambition OF a Naturalist From
the East an ambition which could easily
and truthfully be called by a more correct
If less complimentary title. We have all
the necessary data to institute proceed
insgs, FREDERICK W. D'EvELYN.
Chairman Committee on Birds and Game.
SAN FRASClsCO Cal, April 5, 1905.
When this letter was shown to William
7. Hornaday, the director OF The Bronx
zoo, he remarked, as soon as he saw the
letterhead, that he could guess the con-
tents.
Those Frisco people are trying to get
a rise out OF us, he added. Il can best
reply to the charges contained in the letter
by telling how we came to get the condor
which recently arrived and which is now
in one Of the ostrich cages, doing very
we'll
&C. X. Worthen, an animal dealer OF
Warsaw, ILL.,, wrote to me in the winter
that one Of his collectors had located a
condor which could be had for 500. wrote
him that we would take the bird, but that
it must not be delivered until the weather
became milder. This acceptance Mr..
Worthen transmitted to his collector in
southern California, a man named Will
COX, instruoting him to hold the condor
until spring.
Meanwhile the Mr. Follett referred
to in the letter wrote to me reporting
on efforts he had been making 10 get GER
tain kinds OF animals for our 700 and asked
If there was anything we wanted him to do.
He added that he was coming East in a
few weeks and told him to get the condor
and bring it. At the same time / wrote
Mr.. Worthen to telegraph to Follett the
name Of the man who had the condor
Follett had left the service Of the Pacific
Coast Forest, Fish and Game Association
but his mail and kilograms were still re-
ceived at it's ofn6e.
Il am informed that the telegram was
opened at the ofice OF the association and
held there for two days before II reached
Follett, Moreover. this was the first in
dmation the association had Of the con-
doris existence. but it set out to get the bird
The condor was not then in the possession
Of Wilcox, Worthen's collector, but was
still held by a boy, the son OF a ranchman.
Along came an agent Of the association and
offered the boy 345 for 1t and the boy agreed
to sell. He did not deliver It, however,
and when Mr.. Follett arrived and offered
SOS he got the condor and bill Of sale.
80 we have the condor and We feel en-
titled to it, because II Ftllett's telegram
or letter had not been opened the San Fran
cisco association would never have heard
Of the bird"
Mr.. Condor. who was found preening
himself In the bird house, said that he had
heard Of the row over him and was quite
chesty
Il feel like the Equitable surplus he
added, for condors have a rare turn Of humor
as we'll as Of speed.