BIRDS NESTING IN ANDALUSIA. 323 



their nests on farmhouses near Cordoba on March 31st. Many 

 Eusset Wheatears, as well as another species not identified, 

 and Stonechats, in the neighbourhood of Eonda, were flitting 

 about the stone walls dividing the fields. The Common Wren 

 and Orphean Warblers were seen in same place on April 2nd. 

 On April 20th, while climbing to a Griffon's nest, a Wren's 

 nest was seen built against the back of a cave high up in the 

 rocks. 



One of the chief objects of our expedition was to see some- 

 thing of the larger birds of prey, and if possible to obtain photo- 

 graphs of them. 



At Eonda, where we saw the first Griffon within five minutes 

 after leaving the station on our first arrival, we made an attempt 

 to attract them by a bait, by exposing a sheep's head, which was 

 connected by a thread to the shutter-release of a concealed 

 camera. Though they discovered the bait immediately, one of 

 the great scavengers flying overhead before we had finished the 

 concealment of the camera, they refused to descend so far down 

 into the valley. The selected spot was on a buttress or spur of 

 rock, which projected from the perpendicular cliff on the top of 

 which is perched the town of Eonda. Within a short time of 

 seeing the first one there were four Griffons sailing overhead, 

 and presently ten of the huge birds were in sight, but by degrees 

 they mounted higher and higher in the sky, and finally vanished. 

 Their place was taken then by four or five Egyptian Vultures, 

 which approached much nearer, and even settled on the side of 

 the rocky slope not far away ; but they also failed to come to 

 close quarters, and eventually, though we waited until the light 

 began to fail, we had to give it up, and take the camera home 

 unsuccessful. The Spaniards told me that in a month's time I 

 should have no difficulty, for after the bull-fight the dead horses 

 would be thrown over the cliff, and the Vultures would then 

 assemble from far and wide, and could be photographed without 

 any trouble. 



However, we could not stop so long, and, though the same 

 plan was tried in several localities with different baits, we did 

 not succeed in getting a photograph that was any good. Once a 

 Dog was photographed which had been attracted by the bait. 



2c2 



