248 The Common Raven 
mate still nest in these rocky ravines but not in the old double 
fronted situation, a sketch of which appears at the beginning of 
this chapter. 
It was not until I obtained conclusive proof on this cunning habit 
of the Raven that I paid any attention to the matter. Since then [| 
have revisited several nests known to me for many years past ; and 
in two instances have I found a precisely similar arrangement 
whereby the old bird can slip off her nest unobserved, by means of a 
back-door. One of these is ina crag known as La Cueva del Cuervo, 
which has been occupied recently by a pair of Egyptian Vultures. 
A picture of this nesting-place will be found in the chapter on 
Egyptian Vultures. I now know why it was that I never saw a 
Raven leave this crag when they nested there. 
Owing to this habit of resorting to recesses amid the rocks it 
follows that most Ravens’ nests are somewhat awkward to photo- 
graph. The picture given on the preceding page is of a nest most 
artistically placed in the depths of a fissure on the face of a small 
cliff about 100 ft. high and not 1o ft. from the summit. Entrance 
to the nest is gained through a narrow fissure immediately in front 
of it, through which the light is seen to be shining in this picture. 
To get at this nest I had to descend from the top of the cliff through 
a narrow chimney which widened out at the bottom and this 
photograph was taken standing with my stockinged feet and knees 
pressed, chimney-sweep fashion, on either side of the gully and 
with the camera jammed against the rocks at a point 43 ft. above 
the nest, where some slight protuberances made it possible to 
hold it perfectly steady for thirty-five seconds. Having taken this 
general view of the nest as seen from above, I went down lower 
and holding the camera firmly against the rocky wall shown near 
the left hand top corner of the first picture, only 18 in. above 
the eggs, took the second one with an exposure of forty seconds, 
I may mention that the first picture was taken with a Goerz lens 
