of the Old World. 433 



handkerchief, and, fastening a stone in the centre, I 

 threw it into the air several times ; and when I saw 

 that it had attracted their attention, I threw it as far 

 as I could down the slope before me. It hardly fell 

 when both made a swoop towards it, and came well 

 within distance. I threw up my rifle, hit the leading 

 bird hard with the first barrel, and brought him down 

 with the second ; but I had a difficult task to get to 

 him, as the descent was very precipitous and covered 

 with loose stones and shingle. He proved to be a 

 magnificent specimen, his wings measuring nearly 

 ten feet from tip to tip. I plucked out his wing- 

 feathers and cut off the head and claws as trophies, 

 but I had not time to take his skin, which I felt 

 extremely sorry for. Whilst engaged in this task, the 

 female kept hovering round about, uttering strange 

 sad cries, and several times I thought she would have 

 attacked me, so I gave her a shot which made her 

 go to the right-about. 



We now clambered down upon the glacier, which 

 by its appearance from the height would, I thought, 

 prove easier travelling than along the craggy side of 

 the mountain ; but I soon found out my mistake, as 

 the surface, which I imagined to be tolerably even, 

 proved undulating, rugged, and much broken up by 

 crevices and chasms of immense depth and perpen- 

 dicular wall-like sides, which varied from a few 

 inches to many yards in width. After a wearisome 



2 F 



