EIGHTH DAY. 137 



nest flew up into the branches, and the vulture slowly rose 

 without showing any great signs of alarm, shook out its wings, 

 and flew deliberately down the hillside. 



Vexed at my mishap, I wanted to hurry away from the 

 place, as I thought I should not get another chance for several 

 hours, but the forester besought me to remain and to seat 

 myself nearer the nest. I did as he wished, and even before I 

 could conceal myself in my newly selected place, I heard the 

 grunting croaking cry of the vulture. It is an extraordinary 

 noise, unlike the call of any other bird of prey, and in the even- 

 ing this hoarse croak of the Cinereous Vulture, accompanied 

 by the dull heavy beats of its wings, sounds very strange. 

 I had hardly looked up when there was a rush over my head, 

 and the enormous female vulture was standing erect on the 

 edge of the nest. I took a quick aim, but just at the instant 

 that I pulled, it crept into its nest and the ball passed over it. 

 A loud bustle among the branches instantly followed, and 

 again the great bird flew off and circled slowly round me. 



The forester, taking an accurate view of the situation, now 

 said that the vulture must have an egg which was on the 

 point of hatching, and begged me not to leave the nest, con- 

 soling me with the idea that the bird would come back in a 

 few minutes ; so I sat down just where I was, close to a thorny 

 bush in the open, without any cover, and directed him to 

 leave the place and walk carelessly past the nest towards our 

 carts. 



Meanwhile the male had also come up, and both the vul- 

 tures circled, croaking, round us ; but before the forester 

 had gone a couple of hundred paces one of them again 

 drew in its wings and flew to the tree as fast as its heavy 

 build would allow. It settled on a thick branch near the nest, 

 but noticed my position, and no sooner had it seen me than it 

 at once spread its pinions and vanished among the branches 

 of the nearest tree before I could get another shot. I now hit 



