480 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
allowed all the rest to live, for it is a pity to take away life 
wantonly, and the skinning of them would have been a re- 
pulsive business. 
When in the north of Spain I had an opportunity of ob- 
serving an Heyptian Vulture quietly feeding at a carcass. 
It came a few moments after I had withdrawn into my 
hiding-place, and instantly began by thrusting its head into 
the belly and among the entrails of the beast. At first it 
tore out great pieces, bolted them at once, and from time to 
time drew itself up and stared about, dripping with blood; 
but after an incredible amount of flesh had vanished down 
the throat of this gluttonous bird, it commenced pulling at a 
long entrail of the sheep, and hopping backward with short 
jumps, tugged and swallowed at the same time, stuffing till it 
could stuff no more. It then exerted its full strength, broke 
the entrail, flapped away a few paces, and, after ruffling its 
feathers and shaking itself, began to digest its meal with 
evident satisfaction. It had, doubtless, hurried so much in 
order that it might have an undisturbed enjoyment of the 
banquet before the arrival of its larger relatives. 
The Egyptian Vulture builds in cliffs, generally in a per- 
fectly unapproachable place, its nest being situated in a hole, 
cranny, or rift, but almost always in a position where it is 
protected by an overhanging part of the rock. The hollow 
of the nest is large and its exterior very loosely put together, 
a few twigs placed one upon another, feathers, sheep’s wool, 
the hair of goats and pigs, and all sorts of animal refuse, such 
as bones, bits of skin, and even the dry dung of cattle, being 
the materials that form the dirty stinking abode of this carrion 
bird. I saw from a distance several of its nests in high cliffs, 
but only found one that was fairly approachable, and that 
was placed in a precipice of the Peha Blanca rock, among the 
spurs of the Sierra Guadarrama. 
Just as I got under the nest the old bird was bringing food 
