“Its habits are disgusting enough,” said Uncle Thomas, “when regarded merely as habits; but if we look upon them in the light of Providential appointments, they in a great measure cease to be so. That some of the species are not without the lofty bearing which we admire in the Eagle, is evident from the account which Bruce gives of one which resolutely attacked his retinue, and stole away their dinner from before their eyes. ‘Upon the highest top of the mountain Lamalmon, in Abyssinia, while my servants were refreshing themselves from the 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 noble Bird suddenly appeared; 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 minute, 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 prepared for boiling; but finding the smart, which he had not expected, he withdrew it, and forsook the piece that he held.’ [Illustration: “Into these the Vulture thrust both his claws, and carried them off.” Page 66. ] “There were two large pieces, a leg and a shoulder, lying upon a wooden platter; into these he thrust both his claws, and carried them off; but I thought he still 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 were thrown took him from our sight. The Mahometans that drove the Asses were much alarmed, and assured me of his return. My servants, on the other hand, very unwillingly expected him, and thought he had already more than his share. “As I had myself a desire of more intimate acquaintance with him, I loaded a rifle-gun with ball and sat down close to the platter, by the meat. It was not many minutes before he came, and a prodigious shout was raised by my attendants, ‘He is coming! he is coming!’ enough to have dismayed a less courageous animal. Whether he was not quite so hungry as at his first visit, or suspected something from my appearance, I know not, but he made a short turn, and sat down about ten yards from me, the pan with the meat being between me and him. As the field was clear before me, and I did not know but his next move might bring him opposite to some of my people, so that he might actually get the rest of the meat, and make off, I shot him with the ball through the middle of the body, about two inches below the wings, so that he lay down upon the grass without a single flutter.”