14 BEARDED VULTURE. 
of his “Travels in Egypt, Arabia, Abyssinia, and 
Nubia.” ‘Upon the highest top of the mountain 
Lamalmon, while my servants were refreshing themselves 
from that toilsome rugged ascent, and enjoying the 
pleasure of a most delightful climate, eating their 
dinner in the outer air, with several large dishes of 
boiled goat’s flesh before them, this enemy (the Vul- 
ture, as he turned out to be,) appeared suddenly; 
he did not stoop rapidly from a height, but came 
flying slowly along the ground, and sat down close to 
the meat, within the ring the men had made round 
it. A great shout, or rather cry of distress, called me 
to the place. I saw the Vulture stand for a mimute, as 
if to recollect himself, while the servants ran for their 
lances and shields. I walked up as nearly to him as 
I had time to do. His attention was fully fixed upon 
the flesh. I saw him put his foot into the pan, where 
was a large piece in water, preparing for boiling, but 
finding the smart which he had not expected, he 
withdrew it, and forsook the piece which he held. 
There were two large pieces, a leg and a shoulder, 
lying upon a wooden platter, and into these he trussed 
both his claws and carried them off; but I thought 
he looked wistfully at the large piece which remained 
in the warm water. Away he went slowly along the 
ground, as he had come. The face of the cliff over 
which criminals are thrown took him from our sight. 
The Mahometans that drove the asses, who had, as we 
have already observed, in the course of the journey 
suffered from the hyena, were much alarmed, and 
assured me of his return.” And return he did after 
a short time, when Bruce shot him. 
M. Crespon also has the following anecdote:—*A 
living Gypaetos, which I had for some years, was 
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