348 Bonelli’s Eagle 
In the case in point I was luckily still in my bowline or 
certainly would not be writing this, but such incidents are most 
disquieting and do not add to one’s sense of security. I mentally 
vowed to be more careful in future. Oddly enough, others did the 
same, for two years later when engaged on this book I chanced 
to ask Admiral Farquhar what, in his opinion, was the nastiest 
place he had ever been in when eagle-nesting. He at once replied 
“That Bonelli’s nest we took together,” adding that, had he not 
been so desperately anxious to take a Bonelli’s egg with his own 
hands, he would not have gone over the cliff on that day. Curiously 
enough, neither he nor I had ever discussed the affair in the 
intervening time, possibly the most eloquent proof that we did not 
altogether enjoy ourselves. But most assuredly it requires a man 
to be possessed of the true birdsnesting spirit, the spirit that dis- 
counts all dangers where a nest must be got, to induce him to go 
over a cliff as did my old comrade on this occasion. However he 
got the egg! 
I revisited this district but not this same nesting-place in the 
spring of 1908, as I was anxious to get a photograph of a Bonelli’s 
nest with two eggs in it. The nest I selected for my attempt was 
only about 30 ft. from the summit of an overhanging cliff and was 
placed on a very small ledge beyond which the big nest protruded 
considerably. Below the nest the cliff inclined inwards so that it was 
a clear drop to the ground far away below. There was no foothold 
or support amid the rocks anywhere near the nest, and as soon as 
I was lowered to it | realized that I had my work cut out for me. 
Fortunately, just above the nest a very sturdy old olive tree was 
growing out of a cleft in the rocks, the nest depending for its support 
upon some of the lower branches of a second tree which curving 
downwards served to retain it in its somewhat precarious position 
on the shelving ledge. A friendly branch of the first olive tree ex- 
tended above the nest and but 5 ft. from it, and | saw that if 
