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 Mar., 1908 LIFE HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR. PART' III 61 minute you might see a mere speck in the clouds, and a few moments later this creature with a wing-spread of ten feet, would skim past only a few yards above your head. There was hardly a swish of the wings to tell of his presence. April 25th, the next trip we made to the home of the condor, the pair of old birds met us at the mouth of the canyon. One of the birds sailed out over the top of the mountain, quite high in the sky. In a moment the second bird followed low- er down. They were perhaps out for a short morning fly after attending to affairs at home. The lower bird, likely the female, soon flew back up the canyon, while the other sailed straight out over the valley toward the east. Four hours later, I edged down the steep rock as quietly as possible with my reflex camera in hand and worked my way along to the nest. When I got where I could look thru the crack into the cave, there sat the old condor mother sound asleep. She was brooding her nestling. I dropped back behind a bush and got my camera ready. It was too dark to catch her as she left, but I thought she might pause at the threshold and give me a chance for a picture. Then with my camera ready to snap, I gave a short whistle to arouse her. Then moving a little closer, I gave a louder whistle. In an in- stant she knew I was there, for she plunged headlong out from behind the rock and lit scared and half dazed on her perch a short distance away. When we stooped to look at the nestling in the cave, he jumped right out at us. He was in a savage mood. If his mother would not stay to de- fend him, he intended to fight for himself. I could see that he was developing good fight- ing qualities. His mother might have showed fight too, ONE CONDOR BECAME TOO AMOROUS AND CROWDED if she were cornered as he was. THE OTHER OFF THE PERCH The young condor was growing steadily, for he was now thirty-five days old and as large as a good-sized chicken. His whole body was covered with dark gray down with the outer edgings of lighter gray. When I put down my elbow, he lunged forward and struck it such a hard blow with his bill that it would have drawn blood had he hit my bare hand. The minute I appeared, his neck puffed out with wind and his whole crop filled till it felt just like a rubber ball. He seemed to use his crop as a supply tank for air, which he blew out slowly thru his nose to express his anger. He sat with his head down and mouth open. The front part of his tongue was round and it folded over from each side and met in a little crease down the front. About an inch back, it looked as if it were partly cut in two, for it was narrower and flatter. Such a breath as that youngster had ! I could not describe it, and I tried to forget it as soon as possible. That evening we watched the old condor to see if she would go back to the nest. But at six o'clock she settled down on her perch with her head drawn in, and went to sleep. The young condor had to sleep alone.