. The naturalist's library : containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects . iluted red. Like all the other birds of its tribe, it feedsprincipally upon dead carcasses, to which it is frequently attracted in veryconsiderable numbers. When it has once made a lodgment upon its prey,it rarely quits the banquet while a morsel of flesh remains ; so that it is noluncommon to see it perched upon a putrefying corpse for several successivedays. It never attempts to carry otf a portion, even to satisfy its young; butfeeds them by discharging the h
. The naturalist's library : containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects . iluted red. Like all the other birds of its tribe, it feedsprincipally upon dead carcasses, to which it is frequently attracted in veryconsiderable numbers. When it has once made a lodgment upon its prey,it rarely quits the banquet while a morsel of flesh remains ; so that it is noluncommon to see it perched upon a putrefying corpse for several successivedays. It never attempts to carry otf a portion, even to satisfy its young; butfeeds them by discharging the half digested morsel from its maw. Sometimes,but very rarely, it makes its prey of living victims; and even then of suchonly as are incapable of oiTering the smallest resistance; for in a contestfor superiority, it has not that advantage which is possessed by the falcontribes, of lacerating its enemy with its talons, and must therefore rely uponthe force of its beak alone. It is only, however, when no other mode ofsatiating its appetite presents itself, that it has recourse to the destructionof other animals for its After feeding, it is seen fixed for hours in one unvaried posture, patientlywaiting until the work of digestion is completed, and the stimulus of hungeris renewed, to enable and to urge it to mount again into the upper regionsof the air, and fly abroad in quest of its necessary food. If violently dis-turbed after a full meal, it is incapable of fliglit until it has disgorged tnecontents of its stomach; lightened of which, and freed from their debilitat- 414 A VES—CONDOR. ing elTects. it is immediately in a condition to soar to such a pitch as, mspite of its magnitude, to become invisible to human sight. In captivity, it appears to have no other desire, than that of obtaining itsregular supply of food. So long as that is afTorded it, it manifests a perfectindifference to the circumstances in which it is placed. THE CONDOR.»
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Keywords: ., bookauthordwightjonathan185, bookcentury1800, booksubjectzoology
