in the Eastern Atlas . 
179 
raity of which I used often to climb to watch the proceedings 
opposite. One of these ledges is accessible to a good climber; 
and Mohamed, our servant, who possessed hands, feet, and 
head which I have never seen surpassed for such dangerous 
exploits, performed the feat. A much-damaged egg, from which 
the young one had emerged, was the result; all the other nests 
contained young. It is a fine sight to watch the ease with 
which the Griffon sails through the air: the apparently effortless 
extension of the wings seems amply sufficient to sustain its huge 
body; no flapping motion is necessary to enable it to mount to 
a great height. It is only on leaving a rock that a few strokes 
are requisite to attain the necessary impulse, after which, with 
primaries bent upward by the force of the air, it performs its 
stately evolutions by soaring only. In alighting, the bird drops 
its legs some distance from the rock, and, sailing to within a few 
yards, it checks its velocity by two or three heavy strokes of 
the wing. 
It has always been a mystery to me where so many Raptorial 
birds procure sufficient food. But few bleached skeletons are 
to be seen; and on no occasion did I see a bird feeding. The 
old birds, though doubtless themselves capable of sustaining 
hunger for a long period, must traverse many miles of country 
to procure the more regular supply requisite for their young. 
In one instance only did we find an egg and a young one in the 
same nest; in all other cases, one egg or one young one was the 
invariable number. The eggs appear to be laid in the month of 
February, as most of the nests contained young in the beginning 
of April. During the time of incubation, one of the parent birds 
sits constantly, and if frightened off, returns immediately. The 
nest is composed almost entirely of sticks, which are used in 
greater or less abundance, as the situation requires. The eggs 
obtained from w T ild birds generally show indications of natural 
colouring, in addition to the blood and dirt with which they are 
usually stained. This colouring is dispersed in faint spots of a 
reddish hue, sometimes all over the egg, but generally at the 
larger or smaller end. Of the four eggs in my collections, three 
exhibit traces of this marking. The eggs usually placed in 
collections are laid by birds kept in confinement; and this 
