THROUGH WILD EUROPE 17 



liking to him ; but though he did his best he was 

 very shaky, sometimes even wanting a helping hand 

 over a difficult bit. 



Under his guidance we went to the bottom of 

 the cliff by a winding pathway ; and then followed a 

 rocky stream, horribly polluted by the town sewage, 

 until the valley opened out on one side, having a 

 great semi-circular wall of rock on our right. The 

 bottom of the valley was cultivated with olive groves 

 and small fields, and from the perpendicular rock- 

 face were occasional buttresses or spurs projecting 

 into the valley. It was very evident that our guide 

 knew of no nest, so one of these rock buttresses was 

 selected on which to display the bait temptingly to 

 any Vulture which might be soaring overhead. Up 

 the rocky slope we scrambled, sometimes on all- 

 fours, and holding on to tufts of herbage or jutting 

 stones until we arrived at the top, from which there 

 was a fine view of the smiling valley laid out 

 before us like a garden. As quickly as possible 

 we adjusted the electric battery and carefully 

 covered over the camera, to the electric shutter 

 of which the bait was attached by a fine but 

 strong thread. 



We had intended remaining within sight of the 

 arrangement in some crevice of the rock, but the 

 broiling sun found out in turn each hiding-place we 

 chose, and fairly scorched us out, the heat being to 



