NOV., 1906 I LIFE HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR. PART I I37 sides with our field-glass, but saw no signs of condors. Theu the rest of the party went back on the trail a way and clambered down to the creek along which they ascended to a pocket in the side of the cliff opposite, that seenled to be climbable. They investigated several likely-looking places. On up the steep side they climbed till several hundred feet above the bed of the stream, while I kept vigil with the glasses. After huuting for an hour, no trace of condors could be fouud. Then, while we were all in good position to watch, according to agreement, I fired three shots from my revolver to see if the bird could be scared froill the nest which we were sure was somewhere in the locality. A few moments later, we all caught sight of a condor just alighting oil a ridge quite a way up the eauyon; we all saw her, but uo oue knew from which direction she came. I watched her for half an hour thru the glasses as she preened her feathers and stretched. This looked encour- agiug, as the actions were those of a sitting bird. Then suddenly, she took wing and sailed up the gorge out of sight. Thinking she had started for her nest, I hurried back dowu the mountain side, scrambling over bowlders. sli.ling, aud hanging to bushes, till I ? ," reached the creek, and then worked oil up for half a mile till my progress was stopped by a water-fall cutting down thru two walls of rock. In the meantime my companions froill their side had watched the condor as she flew over and lighted on a high cliff, then back to her former perell. and tip tile canyon again to the old tree ou the cliff side where , tile youug bird was seeu last year. FroIn their ? ' outlook up the mountain side, they saw her jtunp down to a lower perell, where she Was hidden from view. After waitiug half an hour, since she did not appear again, they de- scended the steep slope and we ate a hurried lunch and planned a further searell. We t?11 kuew just about where tile old cou- " dor had disappeared. but tile steep side of tile' mountain wins rough and impassable in places. ' ' Further search revealed uothiug aloug the ledges and among tile bowlders. But we still co.=o.-s ?l?ST. GIVING ^N IDa^ O? THE had the last aud surest resort. the sound of ROUGHNESS 01 'r THE COUNTF?y the old pistol, that roared like a battery of caImous as tile echoes reverberated froill cliff to cliff. Climbing tip the opposite slope to a ledge across froIn where the old bird dis- appeared, I had a complete survey of the place where the nest was supposed to be. Both sides of the gorge were steep and not too far apart for ns to >-ell back and forth, but for all our calling no condor appeared. Finally, three illore shots were fired a few seconds apart, and after the third, the old coudor suddenly appeared on a rock only twenty feet above the head of one of my companions. The lmnter instinc. tively crawled behind a tree as the big bird sat there looking as if she were about to pitch into the intruder, who was vdling like mad at finding the nest. I myself was making the canyon resound with whoops
