202 



WILD SPAIN. 



specimen, a male, 9 feet 9 inches across the wings : the 

 irides were dark, legs and feet whitish, claws black : the 

 cere and bare skin in front of neck bluish colour, tail 

 pointed.* The whole plumage was deep black-brown, the 

 head covered with short downy feathers, and the bird had 

 no offensive smell like the common vultures. This species 

 is, indeed, of far nobler aspect than the Griffon, showing 

 in life none of the repulsive bare neck of that bird, the 

 neck being entirely hidden in the ruff* of long lanceolate 





BLACK VULTURE. "GEXriNG UNDER WEIGH." 



plumes which surround it, and on the wing it has a 

 majestic appearance. 



A few days afterwards we had a similar experience with 

 another, which we stalked, sitting amongst some rough 

 hummock}' ridges : it seems all but impossible to kill 

 these huge raptores outright. Their hard muscular 

 frames and sinews, tough as steel-wire, appear imper- 

 vious to shot, and unless a pellet chances to take the 

 wing-bone, they will go on, though struck in a dozen 

 places. One realizes this on attempting to skin one of the 



* Now in the Hancock Museum at Newcastle. 



