A Scientific Lower 431 
But I was now met by another trouble, the rope as my weight 
got on it cut its way deeply into the narrow fissures between the 
strata and not only loosened more stones but threatened to jamb. 
At last I reached the edge of my sloping gully, it was only 60 ft. 
from my party above but every foot had been a source of anxiety 
to all of us. 
The cliff now became vertical and I went over and soon found 
myself on a level with the big nest and some to ft. to the left of 
it. It was impossible to get nearer as I was wholly dependent on 
the rope. Above the nest was the overhanging rock and there 
seemed just a possibility of my being able to swing in under it, if 
I could get my life-line led from directly above. Accordingly I was 
hauled up once again and made my way to the olive tree. Haul- 
ing up my life-line I rove it over the bole of the tree and dropped 
it down the cliff. Then catching hold of it, I signalled ‘ Lower 
away’ and went down as before with my weight on the rope on my 
body but keeping a strain on the line over the olive tree. By this 
means I gradually hauled myself in towards the nest and succeeded 
in grabbing a projecting rock at the entrance to the cavern and 
swinging myself in. Judge my astonishment, disappointment and 
dismay at once again finding the nest empty / 
It was exactly the same as the first nest, a huge mass of 
sticks with a deep soft lining of lambswool and goatshair. A big 
lump of black lambswool lay in the middle of it, the mysterious 
article which I had seen from afar the Vulture carry to its nest. 
Why these birds thus repaired and re-lined a second nest at 
this season | shall never know, for I could not pay them another 
visit. One would have imagined that my cup of bitterness and 
disappointment was about filled but such was not to be. At least 
I would take a photograph of the cavern and the immense nest. 
To do so, I wanted more rope to enable me to crawl in and get 
to a favourable point and so signalled up to ‘“ Lower away” but 
