306 CHAPTER XLIII. 



dans le departement des Alpes Maritimes," and he 

 mentions it as nesting near Tenda. The Griffon 

 Vulture has been known to wander as far north as 

 England. The flight of this species (says Seebohm) 

 is very majestic : they float and soar without apparent 

 effort, as if they disdained to flap a wing, wheeling 

 round and round in grand sweeps.* 



Birds and beasts of prey were much bolder before 

 the days of guns. In countries where the natives do 

 not possess firearms these creatures have even now 

 but little fear of man. Bates relates that the Urubu 

 Vultures on the Amazons are not afraid to enter a 

 house. "My cook," he says, "could not leave the 

 kitchen for a moment on account of their thievish 

 propensities. Some of them were always loitering 

 about, watching their opportunity ; and the instant 

 the kitchen was left unguarded, the bold marauders 

 marched in, and lifted the lids of the saucepans with 

 their beaks in order to rob them of their contents." 

 There is no impossibility about that good old story of 

 Tanaquil and Tarquin. If a Vulture will take the lid 

 from a pot on the kitchen fire, an Eagle might very 

 well snatch a man's hat from his head, if he happened 

 to mistake it for something edible. 



Near the village of St. Martin Vesubia an Eagle 

 one day took a chicken which was at our very feet. 



* Sir Thomas Hanbury is sceptical, he suggests that these great birds 

 may have been Herons ! I see them (he says) every Spring for one or 

 two days : but I cannot conceive the reason of their coming, as there is 

 nothing for them to eat on our part of the coast. They descend the valley 

 of the Eoya, and go westward towards the Var, returning disconsolate to 

 the lakes and rivers of the mountains. 



Sir Thomas's note is interesting : but surely it is not very difficult " to 

 know a Hawk from a Hernshaw," as the saying runs. 



