224 The Black Vulture 
So steep was the hillside along which our horses were picking 
their way that we could easily see the old bird sitting on 
the nest on a level with us, and not 100 yards away. ‘This 
tree was somewhat easier to escalade than the first one and 
before long we had a rope securely passed over a bough about 
40 ft. above the ground. With the aid of this I was soon able 
AUTHOR IN BLACK VULTURE’S NEST. 
to ascend the otherwise unclimbable portion of the tree. Doroteo, 
to whom such exercise was a matter of daily routine, accompanied 
me and suggested that he should save me further exertions by 
ascending to the nest. This proposal naturally did not commend 
itself to me, as my primary object was to take an egg myself. 
Leaving my satellite at a convenient point, | made my way 
up the limbs of the pine, smooth and slippery with the sun of 
