THROUGH WILD EUROPE 229 



to see what was happening I had to look through the 

 camera, which was rather a drawback. Very quickly 

 a host of Griffon Vultures came into view, until there 

 were about thirty of these huge birds, and one Black 

 Vulture. The carcase was soon covered with a seeth- 

 ing mass of hissing, grunting birds, tearing off great 

 lumps of flesh, and gulping down entrails until in 

 little more than an hour there was nothing left but 

 the bones, when they flapped heavily away, one by 

 one. I had been very busy all the time exposing 

 plate after plate ; I did altogether eighteen, but with 

 no great hopes of success. Most unfortunately the 

 morning was very dull, and dark, heavy clouds 

 obscured the light ; and presently it began to rain. I 

 was afraid they would all be hopelessly under-exposed, 

 and sure enough such was the case. 



The night before, almost at dusk, I had seen the 

 carcase move suddenly, evidently dragged by some 

 powerful animal. I thought it must be a dog, and 

 turned the camera a trifle, and saw a big Griffon 

 tugging at the farther end. It was astonishing to 

 see with what ease the bird could pull the carcase, 

 that of a large calf. It was too dark to photograph, 

 though I exposed two plates, and then put a bullet 

 through it, as I wanted a skin. It was a fine female, 

 with a spread of wing of 251 cm. 



(The Pelican i^Pelecanus crispus) we shot was 

 a male, and measured in length 188 cm., and from 



