MEDITERRANEAN NOTES 195 



" February i^th. Bright morning, strong north- 

 west wind. After breakfast and writing several letters 

 we went ashore and found Juan Espinar and his brother 

 Pepe waiting for us, the former having brought a mare 

 from la Marismilla lent to me by the administrator. I 

 mounted her, and with Pepe's horse set off for the 

 Cara de la Marismilla, where I found Juan's daughter 

 Maria now married to a carabineer, looking very pretty. 

 We went on thence to the edge of the marisma, found 

 some beautiful snipey-looking places, but did not see a 

 single snipe, or anything else shootable within range 

 except a few rabbits, at one of which the captain shot 

 and missed. They all say that this is about the worst 

 season for small game that they ever had. Last year 

 the partridges and rabbits died of drought. There has 

 been no cold this winter to send in snipes or woodcocks, 

 and the Marisma is so full that nothing can be done. 



" Saw imperial eagle,* common kite, kestrel, raven, 

 magpie, blackbird, song-thrush, chaffinch, serin, black- 

 headed warbler, robin, pipits, white wagtail, red- 

 legged partridge, whimbrel, flamingo, wild duck, etc." 



San Lucar de Barrameda 

 " February 1 8//?. A white owl shrieks round the 

 vessel every night. Heard chifFchafF in Alcazar gardens. 

 Large flock of wild geese passed over at night." 



* Aquila adalberti, also called the White-shouldered Eagle. .\. 

 tree-nesting eagle, generally distributed in suitable localities in VVestcin 

 Andalucia. 



