32 BIRD-HUNTING 



length, about ten feet, in the bight of the rope, to 

 hitch it over a projecting rock, haul myself up, and 

 repeat the process until I reached the nest. The 

 descent would be easy with the doubled rope. It 

 worked all right at first, and I reached a spot much 

 higher than before, and not very far from the nest ; 

 but from this spot I could ascend no farther. It was 

 impossible to find any corner on to which to hitch 

 the rope. What corners there were were inclined 

 the wrong way, and on the slightest pull the rope 

 slipped back. So once more I had to give it up 

 and descend empty-handed. All I could do was 

 to photograph the rock from below and make some 

 more exposures of the Griffon, which proved quite 

 as obliging as on the previous day. 



In the meantime we had set an old Spaniard to 

 work, making inquiries among the goatherds, and 

 offering a small reward for news of any Eagles' 

 nests. One day he told us he had information of 

 one to which he could conduct us when we liked. 

 Accordingly we started off next day with him and 

 another Spaniard, who had hired for us a small 

 donkey with panniers, in which we could stow the 

 cameras and enough food and wine for a day's 

 work. 



We found the heat too terrific and the distances 

 too great to carry everything ourselves over such 

 rough ground. Even with this extra assistance it 



