THROUGH WILD EUROPE 289 



they might be nesting there, but it was too over- 

 hung to tackle. Besides, I felt very unsafe on these 

 rocks ; I was wearing rawhide Montenegrin opankis, 

 and after one or two bad slips I funked any place 

 that was at all dangerous. In Spanish alparagatas 

 I think I could have reached some of the ledges ; 

 but in these things I felt so insecure that I would 

 run no risks. From Rettig's description I had 

 expected to find it easy to photograph the Vultures 

 on their nests, but it was not possible to get near 

 enough, and the birds were very shy — I believe 

 they are often shot at here — and a very long wait 

 would have been necessary with but poor hope of 

 success. It was of course too late to think about 

 eggs of such early breeders, so we left them in 

 peace, and proceeded first of all in search of water, 

 of which we were much in need, for the heat was 

 great. (While we were reconnoitring the position 

 of the griffonry I had laid my rifle down in the sun on 

 a rock, and on picking it up half an hour afterwards 

 it was so hot I could hardly bear to touch it.) 



There were some delightful little streams running 

 through the valleys, and at one of these we rested 

 and ate our lunch lying on the soft turf, listening to 

 the babble of the water and watching the sun flicker- 

 ing through the leaves of the beech-tree overhead — 

 recubans sub tegmine fagi — until we all went fast 



asleep. 

 19 



