It has marvelously keen and long vision, and can see an object several miles distant with ease. [Illustration: CONDORS.] Seen thus upon the wing, the condor is a most majestic-looking bird; but when you get a near view of him you find he is nothing but a great vulture, and has all the disagreeable features and traits of a vulture; being a cruel, greedy, and dirty creature, that is glad to feed upon carrion; and having an ugly, hooded head, fierce eyes, and a savage beak. His wings are his beauties. The condor is fond of carrion, but it also feeds upon living animals, or, I should say, kills animals, and feeds upon the fresh flesh. It is very strong with its beak and talons; and two of them will sometimes attack and kill a sheep, or even a cow. Having seen such very large birds, let us turn to the other extreme, and find out what we have in the way of small feathered creatures. You have, no doubt, in the summer, watched the brilliantly-colored humming-birds flying around the flowers, and dipping their long bills into the blossoms to find the insects that may be there. They want these insects for their dinner, and they run their bills so deftly into the blossoms, and touch them so daintily that they do not injure them in the least. On the contrary they help them by eating the insects that would otherwise feed upon the flowers. While doing this you will observe they make a little buzzing noise with their wings. From this they get their name. When hovering over a flower they move with such rapidity that you can scarcely see any motion at all, and the birds look as if they were painted on the air. You think these humming-birds very small; but in South America, the home of the condor, they have some humming-birds no larger than bumble-bees! It would be a curious sight to see one of these by the side of the condor! But, while the latter lives on the snowy mountain tops, the humming-birds stay in the warm valleys, where there are plenty of flowers and insects. It is generally supposed that these birds live on the honey of the flowers. They do often eat the honey, but they prefer insects. [Illustration: SPARKLING-TAILED HUMMING-BIRDS.] There are a great many species of these tiny birds, and nearly all are brilliantly colored. The most gorgeous specimens are found in tropical countries. They are differently marked. Some have such bright spots on their tails that they are called “sparkling-tailed.” Humming-birds build their diminutive nests on vines and low trees. Their eggs are the size of little peas, and white in color. The species I mentioned as being no larger than bees build the dearest little nests, no bigger than a walnut; and they put into them the cunningest little eggs, and hatch out their very small young ones, just as grandly as if they were great condors.