. Unexplored Spain. Hunting; Natural history. $6 Unexplored Spain. a chasm riven right through the earth s crust till its depths are invisible from above; and overshadowed by encircling walls of sheer red crags, broken horizontally at intervals, thus forming, as it were, tier above tier, and flanked by a series of bastions and flying buttresses apparently provided to support the vast superstructure above. By climbing along the rugged central tier, one overlooks from its apex, as from the reserved seats of a dress-circle, the whole domestic economy of a vulture city in being. Every ledge in tha
. Unexplored Spain. Hunting; Natural history. $6 Unexplored Spain. a chasm riven right through the earth s crust till its depths are invisible from above; and overshadowed by encircling walls of sheer red crags, broken horizontally at intervals, thus forming, as it were, tier above tier, and flanked by a series of bastions and flying buttresses apparently provided to support the vast superstructure above. By climbing along the rugged central tier, one overlooks from its apex, as from the reserved seats of a dress-circle, the whole domestic economy of a vulture city in being. Every ledge in that abyss was crowded; many vultures sat brooding, their heads laid flat on the rock or tucked under the point of a wing. Elsewhere a single grey-white chick, or a huge w4iite egg, lay in full view on the open ledge, nestled, apparently, on bare earth; and behind these each niche or cavern had its tenant. The rocks around a nest were often stained blood-red, and one vulture arrived carrying a mass of what appeared carrion in its claws. Another brought a wisp of dry esparto - grass athwart her beak and deposited it in her nest.^ While we watched this scene a smart thunderstorm passed' over, with the result that shortly afterwards the vultures spread their huge wings to dry, displaying attitudes some of which we endeavour to sketch — see also p. 9. The descent into the un- seen depths beneath was rewarded, despite a terrible scramble —part of the way on a rope—by discovering a fairy grotto filled with pink, azure, and opalescent stalactites and stalagmites. 1 Note that the pellets or "castings" thrown up by Tultures are chiefly formed of grass cut up into lengths and compacted with saliva, evidently digestive. We have frequently seen vultures carrying a wisp of grass in their Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not per
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, booksubjecthunting, booksubjectnaturalhistory
