EGYPTIAN EAGLE OWL 43 



I could see it stretch out its legs forward as 

 it settled on to some favourite ledge of rock, 

 and turning its great head round, so that I could 

 see its glorious coloured eyes, would utter a still 

 louder booming challenge. This was so absolutely 

 regular that when working I knew exactly where 

 certain purple-blue shadows would be across the 

 face of the otherwise golden clifF-side, when I 

 heard its first call. Twice I had one in cap- 

 tivity ; one died, but the other seemed to recover 

 so well from a damaged wing, that as soon as I 

 had finished the studies needed, I decided to let 

 it go free, and let it out ; but, stupefied by 

 confinement, or else because the wing was not 

 really strong enough to make flight easy, it only 

 hopped and walked about in a rather aimless 

 way, and was in danger of being attacked by the 

 dogs of our camp. So I had to catch, and in 

 my arms carry my captive right high up the 

 Deir-el-Bahari cliffs — and any that have been 

 there know what that means — and at a safe place 

 near a cleft I had often seen them at, set it 

 free ; neither then, nor during my toil up that 

 cliff was I rewarded by the slightest sign of 

 gratitude ; on the contrary, hissing viciously and 

 clawing right and left with its big talons, intent 



