Caliente Wash California Condor Eden McMillan 26 July 196 Eagle kills deer Mr. Ritter prides himself on being a great deer hunter. He told me of seeing a Golden Eagle drop down on a young deer and hitting the deer with its claws, or at least rendered the creature unable to stand on its legs. Then the Eagle pecked a hole in its neck, killing it. Mr. Ritter told me he would not shoot, nor allow anyone in his presence to shoot, at condor. He feels their scarcity calls for their protection. Both Mr. Ritter and Mr. Poole mentioned to me that Mr. Reed, who lives across the creek from Sand Creek Store, had mentioned to them of his having seen five condors within the last few weeks somewhere in the Caliente area. I stopped at the home of Mr. Reed both going and coming from the home of Mary Arnold’s son, but did not find Mr. Reed home either time. I will write to him in the hopes of getting this information. Stopping at the Caliente Store on my return out of Caliente Canyon, I found Mrs. Mary Henning’s father, Mr. Brown, caring for the store. Seven or eight years ago he had seen condors feeding on the carcass of a cow about three miles down the creek from Caliente. In visiting with Mr. Brown I mentioned the difference between the scant vegetation on the hills in the Caliente Creek area while Tejon Ranch lands were well protected by a good vegetative cover. Mr. Brown saw no reason for doubting what caused this difference. "Just look at the inside of the Highway and Railroad Rights-of-Ways where cattle can’t get in and eat all the grass and you will see why no grass now appears on the range lands in Caliente Creek. The ranchers just run too darned many cattle and consequently they burn up all the feed about as soon as it (the grass) turns dry. I do not know much about cattle but it would look to me that if the cattle cut their heads in two (in half) they would have less [illegible] Condor food