Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-05-01

cliff descending, In search OF eggs.
Among the most distinguished adopts
In this difficult and perilous art is
appropriately enough-one OF the
most popular officers In the British
army-Lieutenant Colonel W~illoughby-
Werner, Of the Rifle Brigade, who is,
at this moment. a professor OF mill
tary science at Sandhurst.
While stationed at Gibraltar, be-
tween 1874 and 1880, Colonel Werner
had splendid opportunities for indulg-
ing his favorite pastime. THE lowest
-as to situation-and also the very
first eagles nest | eve took, was that
of an Imperial eagle-a tree-nesting
species. This nest was In a stunted
tree, only 20 feet high, in the middle
Of an almost impenetrable thicket,
which was surrounded by a large
swamp covered with reeds 10 feet
high" Here the great bird relied for
security on the solitude Of the swamp.
and the difficulty of access to the tree,
Certainly, Colonel Werner would never
have reached that nest were II not
for the assistance rendered by a couple
of bare-legged Spanish l~eech-catchers.
who beat down the reeds for him with
their poles. The gallant Colonels
highest nest Gas compared with the
lowest. mentioned above) was that OF
a golden eagle, which took up its abode
in a dizzy crag, $500 feet above Jimena,
in Andalusia.
Asked as to the details of his cliff
climbing outfit, Colonel Werner said:
81 take with me 1870 feet of 1-inch
Alpine rope; so feet of Pinch rope for
bad places; a ball of strong twine
with lead weight attached, for com
municating up or down; a nest OF tin
boxes for eggs, carried in a loong
creel; field-glasses, dagger, canvas
belt Especially made for me by a blue
jacket); water-bottle and provisions;
a hand camera, and a set of egg-blow-
ing instruments packed in a case"
To these may be added a % foot
rope of pure silk, weighing but a few
onuces, yet capable of supporting two
men. This rope was given to the Col
onel by the late Crown Prince Rudolf
of Austria, who had used it himself
whilst misunderstanding in the Tyrol.
One of our illustrations shows in
quite a startling manne the frightful
positions in which c~liff-climbers quite
commonly find themselves. This dar-
ing man is Mr.. C. Kearton, of Elstree,
Herts. l asked Mr.. Kearton to de-
scribe his method of making a descent,
and this is what he said: Perhaps 1t
would be better, first of all, If l said
a word on two about that photo. In 1t
| am depicted climbing down a cliff
on the south coast of Ireland. | am
about fifty feet down, and the cliff was
nearly 800 feet above the sea. The
photo was taken by a naturalist friend.
Before starting OF a cliff-climbing
expedition" pursued Mr.. Kearton, Il
first procure a couple of ropes about
the thickness Of ones thumb, and in
length from 200 feet to 300 feet. Next
a crowbar. which | fix firmly in the
ground some distance from the edge of
the cliff. One rope (the guide rope)
is securely tied to this crowbar, and
then held by the man who is letting
me down. Attached to the end are
three loops, which are placed round
nv body and under my legs to prevent
me from falling out. With the camera
slung over my back, and the guide
rope in my hand, I deliberately walk
backwards over the brink of the cliff,
the rope being controlled by a man
who unwinds it at given signals. On
firing my revolver, the situation Of a
nest is at once revealed by the sud-
den flight of the birds. AS | am low
cred, I carefully dislodge with my feet
every loose bit of rock with my reach,
so as to avoid a possible shower of
rubble and stones (the result of con-
tact with the rope) when below. This
is vitality important At will, | can sit
in the girth or sling. AS the sound
Of ones voice is lost when at a depth
down the cliff of about fifty feet, an
other man is stationed at a point where
/ can see him; and it is through his
agency that the man at the crowbar
receives my signals. The nest to be
photographed may be found on a fair
ly accessible ledge, in which case the
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