CHAPTER X. 
THE BEARDED VULTURE (continued). 
Third Expedition—Defeated by bad weather—Fourth expedition— Watch bird 
on nest—Fierce appearance—Ascend cliff and am lowered—An agony of 
hopes and fears—Reach the nest—A young Bearded Vulture—Description 
of cavern and nest—A Bearded Vulture’s larder—Photographing young bird 
—A cramped situation—The attack on the camera—Leave the young bird 
and descend—Timid behaviour of parent birds— Fifth expedition—A mar- 
vellous panorama—A reduced lowering party—A false lower—Re-ascend— 
A depressing moment—‘‘ Now or never’’—Am again lowered—Reach the 
nest—At last !—A horribly nasty cavern—An awkward descent—Defective 
cartridge-films—A Consolation prize. 
BOUT the first week in February in 
the year following I once again 
organized an expedition to visit 
the Bearded Vultures in their 
home. 
The previous day to our start 
had been fine but low detached 
clouds were scudding past the 
mountain tops and there were 
other signs of approaching wild 
weather. At daylight heavy 
drifting clouds covered all the 
upper portion of the sierra. Had 
I been free to do so, I would 
have put off the expedition 
