218 The Black Vulture 
fairly beaten. What that meant to a keen ornithologist, who had for 
over thirty years been accustomed to climb to and take every 
nest he wanted, no words can describe. Whilst we were engaged 
in these futile efforts, the old Vulture returned several times and 
swept past the nest not 50 yards above us. 
Knowing that the woodsmen were in the habit of climbing the 
trees when engaged in lopping off the lower branches, I besought 
our guide to find me one who could escalade the big pine, which 
BLACK VULTURE LEAVING NEST. 
had, so far, baffled all our endeavours. This, however, was without 
avail, for he roundly declared that no living man could climb such 
a tree. Remonstrance was useless, and my assurances that, if he 
could only find a man who could throw a rope up, | would myself 
gladly ascend, were received with the response that if I did such 
a foolish thing I would be most certainly killed, and that he would 
be no party to the affair. Our return march that night is one 
of the things one would gladly forget. I had embarked on a 
