30 
VULTURIDjE. 
the perpendicular crags or "lajas/^ which are found in many 
of the Sierras. The most important breeding-places near to 
Gibraltar are the Sierra de San Bartolome^ the Sierra de 
Plata^ el Organo in the Sierra Enmedia^ and la Laja del 
Sicar, all near Taivilla. One egg only is the usual comple- 
ment j and they lay about the 20th of February. Should the 
first egg be taken^ it seems that they lay again about the 15 th of 
April. Of course it is impossible to prove this ; but eggs were 
laid at that time in nests which had been robbed in February. 
The egg is usually white, but is occasionally marked with 
buff-coloirred blotches, the nest being sometimes merely three 
or four bits of green bushes laid on the rock . 
It was a fine sight to see thirty or more of these gigantic 
birds fly out at once with a rushing noisy flight from their 
nests, which they do if one fires a shot at the bottom of the 
cliff in which they breed; and this is the only method of 
finding the exact position of their nests, as well as those of 
other rock-nesting birds, though later on each large crevice 
or hole where there is a nest is plainly visible, owing to the 
dung which covers the face of the rock below, looking as if a 
bucket of whitewash had been poured out of the cave. Vul- 
tures in Andalucia are far more wary than in other countries 
in which I have seen them, except of course during the 
breeding- season . 
How the numbers which inhabit Andalucia at times find 
sufficient to eat is a puzzle to me ; they must be able to fast 
for some days, or else travel immense distances for their food, 
as in the winter and spring it is unusual to see dead animals 
about ; but in the hot parching summer months vast quantities 
of cattle die of thirst and want of pasture. A bull-fight is a 
sort of harvest to Vultures, which flock in great numbers to 
revel on the carcasses of the unfortunate horses that have 
been so cruelly killed. 
The Griffon-Vulture may be distinguished on the wing by 
its light colour when within reasonable distance, and on 
closer examination, by the head and neck being covered with 
white down as well as by the ruff of white feathers. The 
irides of the adult are light yellow ; those of the immature 
