The CONDOR (_Sarcorhamphus gryphus_, or _Sarcorhamphus condor_) has
been the subject of even more extravagant tales than its European
representative, the Lämmergeier, as its name of Gryphus or Griffin
indicates; indeed, the travellers of former times seem to have thought no
anecdotes too absurd to impose upon the popular mind either concerning
the bird itself, or other productions of the countries it inhabits. The
plumage of the full-grown Condor is principally black, enlivened by a
slight metallic lustre; the upper part of the wings is black, but all the
quills are tipped with patches of white, which become gradually so broad
that the shoulder feathers are almost entirely white, and only black at
their origin. The back of the head, face, and throat are blackish grey,
the neck flesh colour, and the region of the crop pale red; the fold
of skin and two warty lappets on either side of the throat of the male
are bright red. In both sexes the neck is surrounded by a ruff of white
feathers; the eyes are fiery red, the beak horn colour, and the feet
dark brown. Humboldt gives the dimensions of the Condor as follows:--The
body three feet three inches, span across the wings eight feet nine
inches, and the tail fourteen inches. The female, according to the same
authority, is one inch shorter, and nine inches less in breadth.
All the highlands of South America, from Quito to fifteen degrees south
latitude, afford a home to this huge bird, whose powers of flight are
stupendous; indeed, we are told on reliable authority that it is capable
of soaring to an altitude of 22,000 feet above the level of the sea,
thus surpassing any other member of the feathered race in its wonderful
strength of wing. In Peru and Bolivia it lives and breeds upon the
sea-coast, but is by no means so numerous as in mountainous districts.
Except during the period of incubation, Condors fly in large parties,
spending the entire day in sailing majestically about in search of
food, and pass the night perched upon one of their favourite ledges or
lofty pinnacles of rock. "Near Lima," says Mr. Darwin, "I once watched
several Condors for half-an-hour together. They moved in large curves,
sweeping in circles, ascending and descending, without once flapping
their pinions. As they glided close to my head I intently watched from an
oblique position the outlines of the separate and terminal feathers of
their wings. If there had been the slightest vibratory motion these would
have been blended together; but they remained distinct under the blue
sky. If the bird wished to descend, the wings for a moment collapsed,
and then, when again expanded with an altered inclination, the momentum
gained by the rapid descent seemed to urge it upward with the steady,
even motion of a paper kite."
The food of these gigantic birds consists principally of carrion; but
they also destroy pumas, vicunas, sheep, and even calves, and thus work
terrible havoc among the flocks and herds of the sturdy mountaineers,
who are compelled to train their watch-dogs for the especial duty of
barking incessantly as long as one of these formidable marauders is
within sight of their flocks. Modern writers all agree in corroborating
the statement of the Indians that this species never molests children,
and as much as possible avoids the vicinity of man, though, if actually
attacked, it displays extraordinary courage, as the following extract
from the journal of Sir Francis Head fully shows:--"In riding along the
plain I passed a dead horse, about which were forty or fifty Condors.
Many of them were gorged and unable to fly from repletion, several were
standing on the ground, devouring the carcase, the rest hovering over
it. I rode within twenty yards of them, and saw one of them displaying
his strength as he lifted the flesh and tore out great pieces, sometimes
shaking his head and pulling with his beak, and sometimes pushing with
his leg. Got to Mendoza and went to bed. Wakened by one of my party who
arrived. He told me that, seeing the Condors hovering in the air, he also
had ridden up to the dead horse, and as one of these enormous birds flew
about fifty yards off and was unable to go any further, he rode up to
him, and, jumping off his horse, seized him by the neck. The contest was
as extraordinary as the rencontre was unexpected. My companion said that
he had never had such a battle in his life; that he had put his knee upon
the bird's breast and tried with all his strength to twist his neck, but
that the Condor, objecting to this, struggled violently, and, moreover,
that as several others were flying over his head he expected that they
would attack him. At last he succeeded in killing his antagonist, and
showed me with great pride the large feathers from his wings."
The preparations made by these birds for their young are extremely
slight; indeed, in most instances the two eggs laid by the female are
deposited upon the bare rock. The eggs are large, the shell yellowish
white, spotted with brown. When first hatched, the young are covered
with a coat of grey down; they grow but slowly, and remain under the
protection of their parents long after they are fully fledged. Some
tribes of Indians prize the heart and other portions of the body of the
Condor as invaluable specifics for many serious maladies, and more than
one modern writer has testified to their efficacy in certain complaints.
When caged this gigantic bird has been known to become comparatively
tame, and attached to its keeper.