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Pictures of Bird Life 



as tlic rest of tliis paradoxicjil couiitrv. tlie })aiTen and 

 metalliferous provinees of Xortheru Spain euhninating- in the 

 fertile gardens of Andalucia and the swampy rice-fields of 

 N'aleneia. Then, too. the greater part of the country is 



Dunlins {Tringa alpina) feeding. 



uninhabited. Even in tlie cultivated parts the population 

 is confined to the towns and ^'illages, and the vast spaces 

 of barren sand-dunes, tlie flooded marismas of the south, 

 and the pine- and cork-woods are absolutely without a 

 human habitation, save the temporary shelter of reeds 

 and })ranches used by the few herdsmen and cliarcoal- 

 burners. ^Vnd, above all, the propinquity of Gibraltar and 

 the southern apex of Andalucia to the great African Con- 

 tinent, the winter resort of so many migratory birds, is 

 taken advantage of by them as the shortest and easiest 

 route to follow. So that a \qv\ large proportion of the 

 birds Avhich migrate to and from the northern countries of 

 Europe pass through Spain twice every year. Besides these, 

 there are many others which cross o\ev from Africa, and nest 



