Our ^'Home-Mountains" 359 



and with gently closing wings plunged into a cavern in the crag. 

 We felt we had our object assured ; yet on examining these 

 mighty piles of rocks — a couple of hours' stiff climbing — it was 

 evident we were mistaken, for no nest, past or present, di<l they 

 reveal. It was on yet a third stupendous crag, quite a mile from 

 the alternative site first discovered, that this year these lammer- 

 geyers had fixed their home. The nest was in quite a small cave 

 in the rock-face ; more often (as described in Wild Spai'ii) the 

 lammergeyer prefers a huge cavern in the centre of which is piled 

 an immense mass of sticks, heather-stalks, and other rubbish — the 

 accumulation of years — and lined with esparto-grass and wool. The 

 eggs always number two and are richly coloured, whereas the griffon 

 lays but one, and that white. Although laying takes place as early 

 as January, yet the young are unable to fly before June. Our 

 principal object this year was to sketch the lammergeyer in lite, 

 and in this several rough portraits serve to show that we succeeded 

 — so far as in us lies. 



There remain notes of later vernal developments in these 

 beautiful sierras ; but alas I this chapter is already too long, so 

 over the taffrail they go. 



