THE GREAT CHIR PINE FOREST 193 



yards further off, where he spent an hour eating and tear- 

 ing the meat off the haunch of his victim, while we tore 

 our hair with disappointment at not getting a shot. 



It is surprising what numbers and varieties of beasts, 

 birds, and reptiles frequent these various regions. To 

 describe them all is the work of a naturalist, but to 

 wanderers in the forest new plants and animals are an 

 endless source of interest. Of birds I may mention the 

 lammergeier, which sails round and round the tops and 

 faces of the cliffs on extended wing, ever soaring without 

 apparent motion of its wings, which measure 10 feet from 

 tip to tip. I have often watched half a dozen, perhaps, 

 of these great eagles passing quite close to the cliff where 

 I stood, so close that I could see the bright big eyes, the 

 great, powerful hooked bill, the rufous, tawny markings 

 on the yellow feathers, the crested head, and the cruel 

 talons gathered up under the breast. 



13 



