GRIFFONS. 633 



poor creature, beats it with its wings, and forces it to fall over 

 into the abyss below, where the Griffon descends to feed on the 

 mangled carcass. 



It has been asserted that it sometimes ventures to employ this 

 manoeuvre against the chamois-hunter, to make him lose his equi- 

 librium in difficult passes. But in spite of all the wonderful 

 stories told, it cannot be admitted that it is capable of carrying 

 off lambs or children, for the weakness of its claws will not 

 support a prey of weight; it is therefore obliged to rend its 

 victims in pieces, and devour them where killed. 



Although it cannot carry ^children, it is nevertheless true that 

 it sometimes attacks them, as the two following facts will prove. 



In 1819 two children were devoured by Griffons on the environs 

 of Saxe-Gotha, which induced the Government to set a price on 

 the heads of these birds. M. Crespon, in his " Ornithologie du 

 Gard," relates the second fact : 



" For many years," says he, "I was in possession of a living 

 Griffon which exhibited no very great courage towards some other 

 large birds of prey which were kept with it, but it was different as 

 regarded children, upon whom it attempted to spring, spreading 

 out its wings as if it wished to strike them. Latterly, I let 

 this bird run about free in my garden. Watching for a moment 

 when no one saw it, it darted upon one of my nieces, two years 

 and a half old, and, having seized her by the top of her shoulders, 

 threw her down to the ground. Fortunately her cries warned 

 us of the danger she was in, and I hastened to her rescue, and 

 found that the child had suffered no other injury but fright and 

 the tearing of her dress." 



This bird shows great courage in defence of its offspring. 

 Joseph Scherrer, a chamois-hunter, having first killed the male 

 parent, climbed to an aerie to obtain the young, and had to 

 engage in such a furious encounter with the female that it was 

 with immense difficulty he saved himself by shooting the bird, 

 from which he had received some severe wounds. 



They live in pairs, and a number together are rarely seen. 

 This is common to all animals which nature has endowed with a 

 great amount of physical strength, for it is the weak only which 

 practise the maxim, " Union is strength." 



