Milford chronicle., 1912-12-13
OUR BIC CONDORS
IN Weight and Spread of Vino
They SurpaSS All Other Birds.
MYSTERY IN THEIR FLIGHTS.

With Fixed outspread Wings These
Wonderful Birds Will Sweep Upward
and Onward Through the Air With
out the Movement of a Feather.
1t Is not commonly known that we
nave a condor in the United States.
YET there is one on the Pacific coast
that IN weight and spread Of wing sur.
passes all other birds. From fin IN
up OF wing it measures more than ten
Ieet, considerably more than the con-
dor Of the Andes and about a ward
more than the largest eagle or swan
MS condor is black, tnged with
brown. except under the wings. where
there is long, narrow strip of almost
pure white running the whole length
OF the wing and widening near tbe |
oody 1t has no ruff round the neck.
Out a fringe of long. narrow black !
feathers on the back Of the neck gives
/ II a savage appearance 1t nests
| among the rocks in lofty cliffs. LAYING
several white eggs much larger than
those of the turkey or goose From
1919 to 1850 cOndOrS were so abun-
dant IN southern California that used
10 see them almost every day. but now
lhey are found only in the wilder noun {
talhS. Their eggs bring SlO0 each in I
the larger museums of the country. {
II an animal is sick or disabled the q
condor rarely heSitates to attack if t
ana Its fate is soon sealed if it is NOT o
strong enough to defend itself or es ri
cape its enemy. s
Like the condor Of the Andes that a
of California viii so gorge Itself with 10
rood al times that it can be lassopd e.
IN the quick dash of a good horse. A 81
friend of mine at San Jacinto had one al
nat had been caught in that wav. I'll
sui although he had thousands of II
'heep and cattle. he had to give the
'lrd away because he could not afford
reed it. II would eat a whole sheep
L meal and then look hungry and a.
ad' as If il were Badly treated.
once clear of the ground. with wings I
ltSpread, the condor has no trouble SOL
bearing away into the clouds din are
Pr that will last a week or two. loo
Standing on the ground at a distance eaS
rs great bird looks much like bic Z
ack Newfoundland dog sitting uD for the
but IN the air it surpasses in wit
ace and variety of action every other full
lnderer Of the skies The whooDing The
ihe that floats like a speck of down of {
Ihe remoteSt blue; the frigate bird. the
lose wing seems never made TO fold Or
en the albatross. are all clumsy and in fl
notonouS compared with the condor. for &
travels IN series of winding lines. are
winch symmetry and grace always sent
efn the boldeSt sweeps or the high. you
bursts of speed men
o~enS OF times have laid among again
rocks and had the condor come so certa
that / could plainly see the spar Tn,
OF lhe brown eye in the vivid red looks
he Dare head. and with the strong rom,
5 lhat always carried in hunting templ
have brought the bird much and i
er. Yet never could | detect the positi
i'eSt HotlOn OF wing or feathers blood
hu Il lazy lap or two mt intervals svenit
'EeraI minutes or simple inbend Indian
u the tips of the wings. as if feel They
ne breeze to he sure it was there TO stoI
lhe hlrd often floats an hour or ditjoD
without even this slight motion. This
: qu!'e W"nuerinI when the con Apach
cts its wings and slides sidewise drad.
strong breeze without anv de- ap,.ien,
yet without falling backward. curiors
TIL more so to see the great bird mop,t.
with swing of half a mile or on thor
arriving hundreds of feet above dov III,
INT of starting and perhaps hun preripit
OF Yards ahead of il tho 49,.
ID have been We'll hidden among s.id .,,
ckS nave seen condor within n o,,
yards hanging on the air for
seconds at time-not like the
balancing itself to fall upon some
elow' but seeming to sleep there N
'eTully and quietly as summer Witho
Then suddenly the bird has whom
half over and cleft the air with Magazin
p hiss of wing feathers. for his sport
there was not the slightest mo- During
wing to account And all this land the
condor has been rising instead happened
~. ana ! have vainy warched lighted u
Ged tips OF the great wings for of his tr
Nest sign of motion II S. Van dress hin
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