3608 The Golden Eagle 
The moral pressure exercised by Golden Eagles over their 
despised connections, the huge Griffon Vultures, was very apparent 
in the case of the nest at site “A.” The first year, when the Eagles 
were in occupation, no Griffons were to be seen about the place, 
the second year I noticed a pair, the third year one had actually 
taken possession of the disused Eagle’s nest and another pair 
had established themselves in a big cavern close by, the fifth 
year there were four or five nests. The sixth year I first 
detected the presence of the Eagles by seeing one suddenly 
descend from the zenith and buffet a Griffon that came sailing 
past the great cliff where the Eagle’s nest was situated and 
which made off with great precipitation. As a matter of curiosity 
I fired subsequently several shots to see if any Griffons were 
nesting about the cliffs, but none came out. To make sure, I 
then climbed up and visited the various nests I knew of and 
found all alike untenanted and out of repair. A single pair of 
Neophrons were nesting in the big cavern which formerly held 
several Griffons’ nests and the female had laid her eggs in one 
of the Griffons’ nests of the year before. It would be difficult 
to produce clearer testimony of the antipathy of Golden Eagles 
to Griffon Vultures. 
Possibly some who read this may imagine that it is a simple 
matter enough to find the nests of these beautiful birds. Of 
course, with good luck many things in life are made easy, but in 
few pursuits that I know of are there more chances of disappoint- 
ment than in tracking Eagles’ nests. 
When once a pair of birds are located and their nesting places 
discovered, it appears to be absurdly simple, and so it may be 
for the casual visitor who wants to be shown an Eagle's nest, 
and who can by this means get a man to take him straight to 
the spot. But for the genuine bird watcher, how immense and 
uncertain is the task and how overwhelming at times are the 
