Page:Condor10(1).djvu/7

 6 THE CONDOR VoL. X these forces, but the condor is too slow in recuperating its numbers. Even under favorable circumstances, each pair of condors will raise but one offspring a year. Oftentimes a pair of condors are very irregular in nesting. One collector states that in a certain locality where a pair of the birds live, they have nested but three times in about twelve years. Under these conditions it is not surprising that the condor numbers are decreasing, and unless the needed protection is given, this bird will undoubtedly follow the Great Auk. If one were to begin collecting data on the California Condor, he would soon discover how little is really known. For a number of years, Mr. W. Lee Cham- bers has been collecting records to ascertain the exact number of the eggs of this bird that are in existence. These records reach up to the year 1906. At that time there were only forty-one eggs of this condor in the various museums and private collections of the world, while there are over seventy eggs of the Great Auk. There were about half a dozen of th bird in captivity. Of the eggs, twenty-six are first class and fifteen second class. A number of eggs may have been taken in the early days, but very few of these are in existence at the present time. An egg in the possession of J. H. Gurney, England, was taken in April, 1859. As far as the records show, there were four taken about the year 1870, one in 1889, three in ' 1895, two in 1897, three in 1898, one in 1899, eight in 1900, three in 1901, six in 1902, one in 1903, and three in 1905. The best early historical account of the California condor was published in Hutchings' California Maga- zine in the June, July and CONDOR JUST DROPPING OFF HER PERCH IN FLIGHT; August numbers of 1859. It TAKEN AT I-I2O0 PART OF A SECOND EXPOSURE was written by Mr. Alexan- der S. Taylor. Altho the bird had been known to the scientific world since mentioned by Shaw in 1779, yet neither the bird nor the egg had been properly described, except from hearsay. Both Douglas in 1827, and Townsend in 1837, as related in Audubon, failed to discover the nest or ever got to see the eggs. Douglas assumed and stated dog- matically that the color of the egg was "jet black", .which information was secured from the Indians. It is interesting to note that the egg taken at this time, from which Mr. Taylor secured his description, is still in existence. This is very likely the oldest egg of the California condor, and is now in the collection of J. H. Gurney in England. The egg was secured from a hunter who took it the last week in April, 1859. Mr. Taylor recounts that the egg was laid in the hollow of a tall oak tree near the summit of one of the highest peaks in the vicinity of Tularcitos, near a place called Cunejos. This is the only record we have of the condor ever nesting