The Savannah Morning News

BIGGEST OF ALL BIRDS.

The Great South American Condor Weighs Forty Pounds.

From the New York World.

The subject of big birds has recently been discussed by many ornithologists, with a view to ascertaining which flying bird is the largest in the world.

In the New York Zoological Gardens is a specimen of the condor. This huge feathered freak belongs to the family which produces the largest known bird. Not only is the condor the largest bird that flies, but in its flight it goes higher than any other living creature.

South America produces the largest condors. Some of them weigh more than forty pounds and measure from tip to tip from fifteen to eighteen feet. Their strength has been noted on more than one occasion to be more than that of a man.

When von Humboldt was making observations in South America near Mount Chimborazo he saw condors flying high over the top of the mountain. Their altitude must have been not less than 23,000 feet.

A remarkable feature in connection with the flight of the condor consists in its ability to fly upward without flapping its wings. This it does in a series of circles which enlarge as the bird wheels upward in a species of opening spiral.

The condor has also the power of poising itself absolutely still in the air. Darwin observed a condor at a great altitude remain perfectly still for half an hour. No movement was observed during this period, though doubtless there must have been some imperceptible movement.

The next largest bird to the condor is the harpy eagle, found both in South America and the Philippines. These birds do not weigh so much as condors and the spread of wing is not so large. They are far more fierce in their manner of attack, however, and are more dreaded by natives.

The South American harpy eagles were so named by a Jesuit traveler, who first took note of their predatory character. He recalled the ancient mythological tales about the Greek harpies, which were wont to fly down on festive occasions, destroying everything within reach and even carrying off persons.

The harpy eagle is larger than any other bird of the eagle class. Its weight and stretch of wing from tip to tip make it rank as the second largest bird that flies. It has a spread of wing from eight to twelve feet.

The harpy eagle is very swift, being easily able to outstrip the birds upon which it preys. It has also very keen vision. It is able to see, so those say who have closely observed it, a white patch no larger than a hen's egg on a green tree or field two miles distant.

Next to the harpy eagle in weight, but not so great in spread of wing, comes the bustard. Bustards have been known to weigh thirty pounds, but their wing spread is never more than nine feet. In early days bustards inhabited the central and northern parts of Europe, but they were much sought after for their delicate flesh.

In Canada the bustard corresponds in some measure to the wild goose, though it is not so large as the European bustard. Bustards do not resemble in the least-as some have imagined-the buzzards of North America. The former are related to the crane and plover family, whereas buzzards belong to the hawk family, and are never eaten.

Owing to its weight and size, the bustard holds a place next to the harpy eagle. Bustards do not fly rapidly and are more harmless than the harpy.

Wild turkeys come next to bustards, both in size and spread of wing. Audubon made observations of turkeys weighing more than thirty pounds. Tame turkeys also reach that weight.

The spread of wing of the turkey is not so great as that of either the harpy eagle or the bustard. Hence the wild turkey has to be relegated to a fourth place in the list of "biggest birds."

Wild swans come next in this catalogue of large birds. Some wild swans have been found to weigh twenty-eight pounds. It is estimated that the weight of these birds sometimes approaches thirty pounds. The spread of wing of the wild swan is not very great, seldom exceeding six feet.

As to the expanse of wing, it seems the albatross holds the claim. Its stretch from wing tip to wing tip is often as great as seventeen feet.

Next to these comes the golden eagle. This bird weighs generally about twelve pounds, and its wing measurements is seven to eight feet.

The "great American eagle which typifies the Union, seldom exceeds ten pounds in weight, and its wing stretch is not often more than seven feet. This bird can, however, ascend to such a height that it disappears from view.