234 THE WORLDS LUMBER ROOM. 



and are looked upon as foes by shepherds and herdsmen. 

 The favourite haunts of the Condor are the regions of per- 

 petual snow, from which it seldom descends ; and the 

 Liimmergeier frequents the Alps and higher mountains of 

 Europe, a variety of it being also found in many parts ot 

 Africa, where it is called "Daddy Long-Beard." Bruce, the 

 traveller, mentions that on one occasion when he was cook- 

 ing his dinner on a mountain top, one of these birds boldly 

 swooped down and put its foot into the pot where some 

 goat's flesh was boiling, but not being prepared for the heat, 

 withdrew it again speedily. Being very fearless, how- 

 ever, it at last managed to carry off a leg and a shoulder 

 from the dish. When shot it was found to measure eight 

 feet four inches across the wings. 



The Egyptian or Alpine vulture, which inhabits Europe, 

 Asia, and Africa, being nearly white, is called "White 

 Crow " by the Dutch, and " White Father " by the Turks. 

 A pair are attached to every group of natives in South 

 Africa, and are to a certain extent domesticated, being 

 perfectly harmless, and very useful in clearing the premises 

 of offal. In the East they walk fearlessly about in the 

 streets, helping the pariah dogs, and eating almost any- 

 thing. 



About Cairo, where it is considered a breach of order to 

 kill them, they are called "Pharaoh's Hens." They are 

 plentiful in Turkey, Arabia, and Persia, and are always to 

 be seen about the camps and cantonments in India ; but 

 they also frequent the Alps and Pyrenees, and all the 

 countries bordering on the Mediterranean. 



Just as gulls follow ships, so do these vultures follow 



