When the Condor is gorged with food it becomes very heavy, and can scarcely fly. The Indians, who are well aware of this peculiarity, take advantage of it to destroy the robber thus:—Carrion is placed in full view to entice the Condors. When the birds have thoroughly surfeited themselves they are hunted on horseback and entangled with lassoes, to be finally beaten to death with clubs.
Condors do not assemble in flocks except when devouring some animal of great size. The hen bird lays a couple of eggs in some crevice on the mountains or cliffs: nest-building they entirely disregard. The rearing of the young requires several months; the parent birds feed them by disgorging into their bills the food which they have stored in their crops. All the Vulture tribe do the same.
The Condor is tamed with difficulty; captivity seems only to increase its savage nature. Humboldt kept one at Quito for eight days, and he states that to approach it was always dangerous.
The King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa), [Fig. 302], is distinguished from the Condor by its collar, or ruff, which is of a slate colour, and surrounds the neck; also by its crest, of an orange hue, situated on the top of the bill. Instead of confining itself to arid and barren localities, it frequents plains and wooded hills, and nests in the hollows of old trees. Its habits are, however, very much the same as those of the Condor. It has been named the King of the Vultures because the other Vultures dread it, as it appropriates their prey. It is found in Mexico, Guiana, Peru, Brazil, and Paraguay, and occasionally in Florida, doubtless its most northern habitat. In this species the female has a crest as well as the male.
The genus Cathartes of Illiger has a long and elongated bill; the head and neck bare; the nostrils oblong and pierced through; the wings obtuse, and reaching a little beyond the tail. There are three species: the Urubu (Vultur atratus) and the Turkey Buzzard (Vultur aura, Linn.), which are natives of America, and the Percnopterus (Vulture of Latham, Pharaoh's Hen of Bruce), peculiar to the Old World.
Fig. 302.—King Vultures (Sarcoramphus papa, Yarrell).
The Urubu (Vultur atratus), [Fig. 303], is the size of a small Turkey. Its plumage, of a brilliant black, gives it a somewhat dismal look, which is amply justified by its disgusting habits. This bird is of a sociable nature, and is always met with in numerous flocks. Like all birds which subsist on decaying matters, it is the constant guest of man, and accompanies him in all his wanderings through its habitat. In nearly all the large towns of South America it has acquired rights of citizenship, where it may be seen almost in a domestic state, and multiplying under the protection of the laws. In Peru the inhabitants are prohibited from killing a Urubu under penalty of ten pounds. The same prohibition exists in Jamaica.
Fig. 303.—Urubus (Vultur atratus, Wils.).