Sanitary Precautions 395 
across, lined with dried tufts of grass, palmetto, &c., whilst others 
have but little more than a central depression amid a collection 
of the stiff quill feathers which the old birds have obviously 
gathered from some adjacent Griffons’ roosting station. Griffons 
lay as a rule early in February, although I have seen eggs a 
month earlier and have taken fresh eggs in March and April 
and still more rarely in May. Most possibly those found in 
April and later are a second laying, due to the first having been 
taken. On one occasion | watched no less than ten pairs of these 
birds busily engaged in bringing materials to their nests; this was 
on January 24; I was therefore not a little puzzled at seeing them 
some three months later carrying good sized leafy branches, freshly 
broken from cork and ilex trees, to the cliffs. 
The Griffon often carries its nesting materials in the beak, the 
foot not being so well adapted for such a purpose. The appear- 
ance of these great birds steadily winging their way to some crag 
with a leafy branch of cork or ilex or wild olive, a foot or 
more in length, held in the beak is absurdly suggestive of the 
curious medieval pictures of the dove returning to the ark with 
the olive branch. For some years I imagined that the birds when 
thus engaged were building a new nest in spite of the lateness 
of the season. One day however after seeing a Vulture enter a 
cavern, branch in beak, I climbed up to it and found a newly-lined 
nest, the infant Vulture in it having been provided with an entirely 
new change of bedding in the form of freshly cut branches of 
green ilex and heath placed on the top of the dirty and much- 
used nest. Since then I have repeatedly found other Vultures of 
similar sanitary sense. But although Griffons thus carry branches 
of trees in their beaks, when engaged in building their nests they 
are frequently to be seen flying to the cliffs, holding big’ sticks, 
straw, tufts of grass and sundry other objects in their feet. When 
thus occupied their legs are stretched out behind, in place of being 
