456 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
These mountains, which reminded us of our Central Alps, 
consist of detached chains of large rounded forms, each con- 
siderably higher than the one in front of it, and the one on 
which we were was the outermost of the snow-clad giants that 
make up the long Sierra Nevada range. On the other side of 
the valley, and just opposite the house where we had dis- 
mounted, was a precipitous wall of rock which formed the 
base of a hill. In this cliff were several holes and clefts, and 
there, according to the peasants, herdsmen, and hunters, was 
situated the nest of the ‘ Quebranta-huésos, as the Bearded 
Vulture is called in Spain. Not placing much reliance, how- 
ever, on the ornithological knowledge of these people, we 
made them give a precise account of the bird they had seen, 
and, rightly enough, the most delightful description of the 
plumage of an old Bearded Vulture rang like music in our ears. 
On examining the cliff with the glass we soon discovered 
the hole which served as the dwelling of this mighty bird, for 
underneath it everything was white with the droppings of the 
young. 
Now came the main question : How were we to get near the 
nest ? One of my fellow-travellers, myself, and some Spaniards 
started off at once, and, passing through some olive-yards, 
reached the valley at the foot of the mountain; but before we 
could get to the foot of the cliff we had to ascend a somewhat 
high and steep slope of loose stones, such as one finds on our 
Alps. This being surmounted, I looked about for the best 
way of getting close enough to the nest, and found a cleft in the 
rock, or chimney as our mountaineers call it, that permitted 
us toclimb within a few yards of it, but just at the last a pulpit- 
like projection separated it from the nearest approachable 
place. 
As it would have been impossible to make a hiding-place 
for one’s self there, we rounded the projection by passing 
along the bottom of the cliff, and then found a capital place 
