vestiges of such a civilisation as they describe--leaving
scarcely a trace of it to attest the truth of their assertions. It is
true, that in these countries are to be found monuments of a high state
of civilisation; but these were in ruins long previous to the discovery
of the Spaniards; and the feeble races who submitted so easily to the
latter, knew no more about the builders of these monuments than we do.
The same vestiges of a civilised people are found in the deserts of
North America; and yet the Spanish writers can tell nothing of them,
farther than that they existed at the period of the discovery just as
they are now."

"How many kinds of vultures are there in America?" inquired Francois,
whose mind ran more upon the present than the past; and who, as we have
already hinted, was a great boy for birds.

"There are five species well-known," replied Lucien; "and these are so
different from each other that there is no difficulty in distinguishing
them. These species form two genera--_Sarco ramphus_ and _Cathartes_.
The _Sarcoramphs_ have a fleshy protuberance over the beak--hence the
generic name, which is a compound of two Greek words, signifying
_flesh_, and _beak_ or _bill_. The _Cathartes_, or `purging-vultures,'
derive their name from a singular habit--that of throwing up their food
again, not only when feeding their young, but also when providing for
one another during the period of incubation.

"The condor is a true _Sarcoramph_--in fact, one of the most marked
features of this bird is the fleshy cartilaginous crest that surmounts
his head and part of his beak. This, however, is only found upon the
males, as the female birds are not crested in a similar manner. The
condor, when in full plumage, might be called a black-and-white bird.
His body underneath, his tail, shoulders, and the butts as well as the
outer margins of his wings, are all of a dark, nearly black, colour; but
his wings, when closed, give him a large space of greyish white from the
back to the tail. The downy ruff around the breast and neck is
milk-white, and the naked wrinkled skin of the neck and head is of a
blackish red or claret colour, while the legs are ashy blue. It is only
when full-grown--nearly three years old--that the condor obtains these
colours; and up to that time he is without the white collar around his
neck. The young birds, for many months after they are hatched, have no
feathers, but a soft thick down, like young