They conversed about the vultures, as they rode away from the butte.
The naturalist of the party had much to say of these picturesque birds;
and the curiosity of Basil and Francois had been excited by the
appearance of a species new to them--the king himself.
"With regard to the vultures," observed Lucien, "the study of their
natural history has been considerably impeded by the closet-naturalists,
and particularly by the Frenchmen--who are fonder than all others of
making a parade of science, by the absurd multiplication of genera and
species. This, in the absence of any real knowledge of the habits of
the animals, gives them an opportunity of adding something to what has
been already said; and leaves the reader under the impression that these
learned anatomists know all about the thing; and that is what such
gentlemen desire, and nothing more.
"There are not over two dozen species of vultures in the world; and yet
the French naturalists make almost as many genera of them, multiplying
high-sounding names to such an extent, that the mind of the student is
quite bewildered with what would otherwise prove a most simple study.
"All the vultures are so similar in their _physiognomy_ and habits, that
they might be treated as one genus. Indeed, it would not lead to great
confusion in ornithological science, if they were generically classed
with the eagles--as both kinds have many points of similitude. The
vultures often kill their prey as eagles do; and it is certain that they
do _not_ prefer it in a putrid state. The eagles do not always kill
their prey, and many of them eat carrion. Some of the vultures--such as
the lammergeyer--have almost all the habits of the eagle. The
lammergeyer always kills what he eats, unless when pressed by hunger;
and there is a singular fact in relation to the food of this bird,--he
prefers certain parts of the bones of animals to their flesh!"
It is somewhat strange that the boy hunter, Lucien, should have known
this "fact," as I believe it is not in possession of the naturalists.
I, myself, was made acquainted with it by one of the "feeders" of the
superb collection in Regent's Park--who had observed this propensity for
bone-eating in a young African lammergeyer. He had observed also that
the bird was always healthier, and in better spirits, on the days when
he was indulged in his favourite osseous diet. These men usually know
more of natural history than the catalogue-makers and teeth-measurers of
the museum and the closet.
"Perhaps," continued Lucien, "one of the most essential points of
difference between the vulture and eagle lies in the claws. The claws
of the vultures are less developed, and their limbs want the muscular
power that those of eagles possess. Hence the former are less able to
kill a living animal, or tear the carcass of a dead one. They are
unable, also, to raise a large prey in their claws; and the stories of
vultures carrying off deer, and full-grown sheep, are mere fables. Even
the condor--the largest of the species known--cannot lift into the air a
weight of more than ten pounds. A deer of that weight would be rather a
small one, I fancy. Most of the wonderful stories about the condor were
propagated by the discoverers and conquerors of Spanish America; who, if
they were great conquerors, were also the greatest braggarts the world
ever saw. The books they have left behind them fully prove my
assertion; and I believe that their accounts of the Mexican and Peruvian
nations, whom they subdued, are not a whit less exaggerated than their
stories about the condor. Three centuries could not have so completely
swept away the vestiges of such a civilisation as they describe--leaving
scarcely a trace of it to attest the truth of their assertions. It is
true, that in these countries are to be found monuments of a high state
of civilisation; but these were in ruins long previous to the discovery
of the Spaniards; and the feeble races who submitted so easily to the
latter, knew no more about the builders of these monuments than we do.
The same vestiges of a civilised people are found in the deserts of
North America; and yet the Spanish writers can tell nothing of them,
farther than that they existed at the period of the discovery just as
they are now."
"How many kinds of vultures are there in America?" inquired Francois,
whose mind ran more upon the present than the past; and who, as we have
already hinted, was a great boy for birds.
"There are five species well-known," replied Lucien; "and these are so
different from each other that there is no difficulty in distinguishing
them. These species form two genera--_Sarco ramphus_ and _Cathartes_.
The _Sarcoramphs_ have a fleshy protuberance over the beak--hence the
generic name, which is a compound of two Greek words, signifying
_flesh_, and _beak_ or _bill_. The _Cathartes_, or `purging-vultures,'
derive their name from a singular habit--that of throwing up their food
again, not only when feeding their young, but also when providing for
one another during the period of incubation.
"The condor is a true _Sarcoramph_--in fact, one of the most marked
features of this bird is the fleshy cartilaginous crest that surmounts
his head and part of his beak. This, however, is only found upon the
males, as the female birds are not crested in a similar manner. The
condor, when in full plumage, might be called a black-and-white bird.
His body underneath, his tail, shoulders, and the butts as well as the
outer margins of his wings, are all of a dark, nearly black, colour; but
his wings, when closed, give him a large space of greyish white from the
back to the tail. The downy ruff around the breast and neck is
milk-white, and the naked wrinkled skin of the neck and head is of a
blackish red or claret colour, while the legs are ashy blue. It is only
when full-grown--nearly three years old--that the condor obtains these
colours; and up to that time he is without the white collar around his
neck. The young birds, for many months after they are hatched, have no
feathers, but a soft thick down, like young goslings or cygnets; and
even at two years of age their colour is not black and white, but a
dirty, brownish black.
"The full-grown condor usually measures about eight feet from tip to tip
of his wings; but there can be no question that specimens exist, and
have been seen by truthful travellers, that measured fourteen feet and
some inches!
"The condor, like other vultures, feeds principally upon carrion; but,
when pressed with hunger, he will kill sheep, lambs, vicunas, young
lamas, deer, and other animals. The larger kinds he can master, by
attacking their eyes with his powerful beak--which is his principal
weapon. That he can kill boys of sixteen years old, as Garcilaso de la
Vega asserts, is, like many other statements of that celebrated author,
simply untrue; but that he frequently attacks, and, according to the
Indians, sometimes _puts to death_ little children, is probable enough.
If he can kill full-grown sheep or vicunas, there is nothing remarkable
about his doing the same for a child five or six years of age; and,
indeed, it is certain that such instances have occurred.
"Almost any eagles can do as much, and would, provided they were hungry,
and children were left exposed in the neighbourhood of their haunts.
The condor, however, is one of the most ravenous of his species. One in
a state of captivity has been known to eat eighteen pounds of flesh in a
single day! But that this bird can raise into the air with his claws,
and carry off large animals, such as deer and sheep, as asserted by
Acosta, Desmarchais, and other French and Spanish writers, is altogether
fabulous.
"The condor, unlike the vultures of most countries, is not under the
protection of the law. His destructive habits among the lambs, and
young lamas and alpacas, render him an object to be persecuted rather
than protected. He is, therefore, either killed or captured, whenever
an opportunity offers. There can be but little use made either of his
flesh or his feathers; but as he is an object of curiosity, he is often
kept as a pet about the houses of the Chilians and Peruvians. Live ones
are frequently to be seen in the markets of Valparaiso, and other South
American cities.
"The natives who hunt the condor have various ways of capturing him.
Sometimes they lie in wait near a carcass, and shoot the bird when it
alights; but it is very difficult to kill them in this way, on account
of their strong thick feathers, as well as the tenacity of life which
they possess: it can only be done when the shot takes effect in a vital
part. This method, therefore, is not much practised. A second plan is,
to wait until the condor has gorged himself to repletion, when, like
most other vultures, he is unable to fly for some time after. The
hunters then gallop up, and lasso him from their horses; or impede his
flight by flinging the `bolas' around his legs. The `bolas' are thongs
of leather, with leaden balls at each end; and these, when adroitly
thrown, twine themselves round the shanks of the condor, and prevent his
escape. A third mode is still a surer one. The hunters build a large
penn, in which they place a quantity of carrion. The palisades that
inclose this penn are made so high, that, when the bird has gorged
himself, he is unable either to rise into the air or get out of the
enclosure in any way; and he is then overtaken and captured, or beaten
to death with clubs.
"The Indians kill the condor by stones, projected from slings to a great
distance--a species of weapon which these people use with much
dexterity.
"Condors are taken alive in traps and snares; but there is an excellent
and somewhat curious method of capturing them alive, sometimes employed
by the Indians of the Sierras. It is this:--The hunter provides himself
with the skin of some animal, such as an ox or horse, freshly taken off,
and with a piece of the flesh adhering to it. With this he proceeds to
some open place, where the condors, wheeling high in the air above, may
readily see him. Having chosen a spot, he crouches down upon the
ground, and draws the skin over him, with the fleshy side turned upward.
In this situation he remains; but not long, until some one of the
condors, with his far-piercing glance, espies the ensanguined object,
and comes swooping downward. The bird, having no suspicion, hops boldly
upon the hide; and commences tearing at the piece of flesh. The hunter,
underneath, now cautiously feels for one of its legs; and having assured
himself of this, grasps it firmly, folding the foot of the bird in the
soft loose flaps of the hide. Having already provided himself with a
long rope, he adroitly nooses it around the ankle; and, taking the other
end in his hand, he now appears from under the skin, and shows himself
to his astonished captive. Of course, during the operation of
`tethering,' the condor flaps and struggles with all his might; and were
it not for the hide which protects the hunter, the latter would be very
apt to come off with the loss of an eye, or be otherwise dreadfully torn
by the powerful beak of the bird. When the hunter has fairly secured
his prize, he passes a leathern thong through its nostrils, and knotting
it firmly, leads the condor off in triumph. In this same manner the
bird is kept chained, so long as he is wanted. With the string through
his nostrils, and fastened by the other end to a picket-pin in the
ground, the captive can walk about freely within the area of a circle.
Sometimes forgetting that he is chained, he attempts to fly off; but, on
reaching the end of his string, the sudden jerk brings him to the ground
again; and he invariably falls upon his head!"
"But how is it," inquired Francois, "since the condors are hunted in
this way, and so easily captured, that they are not long since
exterminated? They are so large, that any one can see them at a great
distance; and they can be easily approached, I believe; yet there are
still great flocks of them--are there not?"
"You are quite right," answered Lucien; "they are still numerous, both
in the Andes of Chili and Peru. I think I can explain this. It is
because they have a safe place, not only to breed but to retire to,
whenever they feel inclined. Numerous peaks of the Andes, where these
birds dwell, shoot up far above the line of perpetual snow. Away up on
these summits the condor breeds, among naked rocks where there is no
vegetation. No one ever thinks of ascending them; and, indeed, many of
these summits are inaccessible to the human foot. Not even animals of
any species are found there, nor birds--except the condor himself. He
is the sole lord of that region. Therefore, unlike most other
creatures, these birds have a retreat where no enemy can come near them,
and where they may bring forth their young, and rear them in perfect
security. Still more, they can go to rest at night without fear of
being disturbed, unless by the crash of the falling avalanche, or the
roar of the loud thunder that often reverberates through these Alpine
regions. But the condor is not in the least afraid of these noises; and
he heeds them not, but sleeps securely, even while the red lightning is
playing around his eyrie.
"Now, it is very evident that birds, or any other wild animals,
possessing a secure place, both to bring forth their young or escape to
in time of danger, will not easily be extirpated. It is because their
places of breeding and retreat are accessible--not only to man but to
hosts of other enemies--that such creatures as eagles and the like are
so scarce. Not so with the condor. His race can never become extinct
so long as the Andes exist; and that is likely to be for a good long
period, I fancy."
"What sort of nests do they build?" inquired Francois.
"They do not build nests," replied Lucien, "they choose a cavity in the
rocks, or in the soil around them, where they lay two large white oval
eggs, and hatch them just as other vultures do. Strange to say, very
little is known of their mode of life in their elevated haunts; but this
is because the natives of the Sierras rarely venture up to the high
regions where the condors dwell. All they know of them is what they
see, when these great birds descend upon the plateaux, or inhabited
mountain-valleys, in search of food--which they do only in the mornings
and evenings. During mid-day the condor usually perches upon some high
rock, and there goes to sleep. When pressed by hunger, they sometimes
extend their range down to the hot coast lands of the Pacific Ocean; but
they are evidently birds that can bear cold much better than heat.
"The _King-vulture_," continued Lucien, "is the next species that claims
our attention. He is also a Sarcoramph (_Sarcoramphus Papa_), and the
only one of that genus besides the condor. He is unlike the condor in
many respects. He is not much of a mountain bird, but prefers the low
savannas and open plains. He prefers heat to cold, and he is rarely met
with outside the tropics, although he makes occasional visits to the
peninsula of Florida and the northern plains of Mexico; but in these
places he is only a rare and migratory bird. He feeds principally upon
carrion, and dead fish that have been left by the drying-up of ponds and
lakes; but he will also kill and eat serpents, lizards, and small
mammiferous animals. Bartram states that in Florida he only appears
after the savannas have been on fire, when he is seen to pass over the
ground amidst the black ashes, hunting for and devouring the snakes and
lizards that have been killed by the fire. Bartram, therefore, infers
that his food must consist altogether of _roasted_ reptiles; but as it
would be sometimes difficult for him to procure a supply of these
ready-cooked, I think we may safely conclude that he does not object to
eating them _raw_. The fanciful ideas of these old naturalists are
sometimes very amusing from their very absurdity.
"The king-vultures live in pairs as eagles do--though they are often
seen in flocks, when a carcass or some other object has brought them
together.
"This bird has been called the `painted' vulture on account of the
brilliant colours upon his head and neck, which do, in fact, present the
appearance of the most vivid painting. He derives his name of a
`King-vulture,' not from the possession of any noble qualities, but from
the manner in which he tyrannises over the _common_ vultures (_aura_ and
_atratus_), keeping them from their food until he has gorged himself
with the choicest morsels. In this sense the name is most appropriate;
as such conduct presents a striking analogy to that of most human kings,
towards the _common_ people.
"Next to the condor in size," continued the naturalist, "and, perhaps,
quite equal to him, is the great _Californian vulture_--the `condor of
the north.' He is classed among the purging-vultures (_Cathartes
Californianus_). This bird may be called black, as he is nearly of that
hue all over the body; although some of the secondary wing feathers are
white at the tips, and the coverts are brown. Black, however, is the
prevailing colour of the bird. His naked head and neck is reddish; but
he wants the crest or comb, which the condors and king-vultures have.
On the posterior part of his neck, long lance-shaped feathers form a
sort of ruff or collar, as in other birds of this kind.
"The Californian vulture derives his name from the country which he
inhabits--the great chain of the Californian mountains--the Sierra
Nevada--which extends almost without interruption through twenty degrees
of latitude. That he sometimes visits the Rocky Mountains, and their
kindred the Cordilleras of the Sierra Madre in Mexico, there can be
little doubt. A large bird occasionally seen among these mountains, and
pronounced to be the condor, is far more likely to have been the
Californian vulture. As far as size is concerned, this mistake might
easily be made, for the latter bird is nearly, if not quite, as large as
the former. A specimen of the Californian vulture has been measured,
which proved to be four feet eight inches in length, and nine feet eight
inches between the tips of the wings! Now, this is actually larger than
the average size of the condors; and it is not improbable, therefore,
that individuals of the Californian species may yet be found quite equal
to the largest of the South American birds.
"The Californian vulture has been seen as far north as the thirty-ninth
parallel of latitude. He is common in some parts of Oregon, where he
makes his nest in the tops of the tallest trees, constructing it of
coarse thorny twigs and brambles, somewhat after the manner of eagles.
As many of the great spruce and pine-trees of Oregon and California are
three hundred feet in height, and twenty feet thick at the base, this
vulture is almost as secure among their tops as the condor on his
mountain summit; but to render himself doubly safe, he always selects
such trees as overhang inaccessible cliffs or rapid rivers. The female
lays only two eggs, which are nearly jet-black, and as large as those of
a goose; and the young, like those of the condor, are for many weeks
covered with down instead of feathers. Like other vultures, the food of
this species is carrion or dead fish; but he will follow after wounded
deer and other animals, and commence devouring them as soon as they have
dropped; and a score of these birds will devour the carcass of a deer,
or even of a horse or mule, in about one hour's time, leaving nothing
but a well-cleaned skeleton! While eating, they are strong enough and
bold enough to keep at a distance wolves, dogs, and all such animals as
may attempt to share with them.
"Perhaps no bird of the vulture species is so shy and wary as this one.
Except when he is gorged with eating, he will never allow the hunter to
approach within shot; and even then, his thick heavy plumage renders him
most difficult to be killed. His wings are full and long, and his
flight is most graceful and easy, not unlike that of his congener the
turkey-buzzard.
"I have said," continued Lucien, "that naturalists make out five species
of American vultures. The remaining two, the turkey-buzzard and black
vulture, or, as he is sometimes called, the `carrion-crow,' we have
already had before us; but, I believe, there are more than five species
on the continent of America. There is a bird in Guayana called the
`gavilucho,' which I believe to be a vulture differing from all these;
and, moreover, I do not think that the `red-headed gallinazo' of South
America is the same as the turkey-buzzard of the north. He is, more
probably, a distinct species of _cathartes_; for, although he resembles
the turkey-buzzard in shape and size, his plumage appears to me of a
purer black, and the skin of his head, neck, and legs, of a much more
vivid red--having an appearance as if these parts had been painted. I
think naturalists will yet discover, that besides the great Californian
vulture, there are three if not _four_ species of the smaller
_cathartes_."
So much for the vultures of America.