58 THE FEATHERED TRIBES. 



of a narrow ledge, and then, sudden and impetuons as the avalanelic of its native regions, 

 it rushes down, hnrliug its victim into the abyss beneath, -when, after making a few 

 joroud gyrations, as if to delight itself in its success, it plunges down to gorge itself on 

 the yet quivering flesh. 



These birds, forming their nests in the clefts of rocks inaccessible to man, in the 

 highest parts of the great chain of the Aljjs that separates Switzerland from Italy, have 

 given rise to many tales which are unquestionably fabidous. It is e^■en currently said, 

 and believed among the peasants in those regions, to have carried off children to its nest ; 

 but such a catastrojjhe is barely possible. 



One of these birds was seen by Bruce, the celebrated traveller, not far from Gondar, 

 the capital of Abyssinia. He says that the inhabitants of that city call it Abon Dnch'ii, 

 or Father Lougbeard, from^ the tuft that grows beneath its beak. From wing to wing it 

 measured eight feet four inches ; and, when dead, from the tip of its tail to the point of 

 its beak, four feet seven inches. It weighed twenty-two pounds, and was very full of 

 flesh. Its legs were very short, but the thighs extremely miiscular. Its eyes were 

 remarkably small, the apertui'e being scarcely half an inch. The cro-s^-u of the liead -was 

 bald, as was also the front, where the bill and .skidl joined. 



This noble bird was not an object of chase or pursuit, nor was it brought within reach 

 by any stratagem. AVhile the servants of the traveller were on the highest top of the 

 mountain Lamalmon, refreshing themselves after its toilsome and rugged ascent, and 

 enjoying the jjleasuro of a most delightful climate, eating their dinner in the open air, 

 and having before them several large dishes of boiled goat's flesh, this bearded vulture 

 suddenly appeared, not stooping gradually from a height, but flying slowly along 

 the ground, and sitting down close to the meat, within the ring the men had made 

 about it. 



A great shout, or rather cry of distress, called Bruce to the jjlace. " I saw," he says, 

 " the eagle stand for a minute, as if to recollect himself ; while the servants ran for their 

 lances and shields. I walked up as near to him as I had time to do. His attention was 

 fully fixed upon the flesh. I saw him put his foot into the pan, where there was a large 

 piece in water, prepared for boiling ; but feeling the smart, which he had not expected, 

 he withdrew it, and forsook the piece that he held. 



" There were two large pieces, a leg and a shoulder, lying on a wooden platter; into 

 these he thrust both his claws, and carried them off; but I thought tliat he still looked 

 wistfully at the large piece which remained in the warm water. Away he went slowl}' 

 along the ground, as he had come. The face of the cliff', over which criminals are 

 thrown, took him from our sight. Tlie Mahometans that drcne the asses were mucli 

 alarmed, and assured me of his return. My servants, on the other hand, very imwiUingly 

 expected hini, and thought that he had already more than his share." 



A few minutes passed, and ho returned, but f)nly fo jierish. " I shot him," Bruce 

 says, " witli the ball of a rifle-gun, through the luidtUe of his bod_y, about two inches 

 below the wing, so that he lay down upon the grass without a single flutter." 



In its attitudes Ihis bird r(-scml)les the eagles more than the vultui'cs, its confident and 

 upright bearing strongly contrasting with tlie crouching and suspicious postures of (lu- 

 latter. Like these, however, it generally retains its wings in a state of li;ilf expansion 

 when at rest, and its neck more or less refracted within its shoulders. 



The general coloui' of the upper part of this lemarkable bird is a dull bi'own, witli a 

 mixture of grey; its wings and tail are of a greyish a.sh colour; the upper pari nl' i(s 

 head is of a dirty white ; and the lU'ck, breast, and other parts are wliite, wilh a .sluidc nf 

 reddisli browii or orange, whicli is deeper on the breast and throat, and gr.Klually 

 becoijies less distinct on tlic abdomen and legs. 



