.•500 Pictures of Bird Life 



pressure was put on the bridle. The very first time of 

 niouutiuo- liim, on takino- up the reins he started buck-jumping, 

 and tearini)- round as hard as he could go ; and the harder 

 I pulled the faster he went. Benitez, perched on liis nude, 

 shouted to me in Spanisli ; but I was too nuich occupied 

 to understand him, until presently I began to realise tliat 

 lie meant me to slack off the pressure on the bit. On 

 my doing so tlie beast quieted down directly and went all 

 right. J^ut if ever he stumbled o\'er the rougli sun-baked 

 mud, and I tried to pick him up witli tlie bridle — an instinctive 

 habit I could ne\er l)reak myself of he would invariably 

 go off at full gallop as hard as he could pelt ; and I daily 

 expected to get my neck broken in one of these wild 

 outbursts over hard mud, punched into innumerable deep 

 holes, where the cattle had trodden it when wet and soft. 

 But all Spanish horses are wonderfully surefooted, and we 

 never came to grief, however dangerous the ground. The 

 finish up of every day's work was a race home with Augustin, 

 as soon as the house became visible and the ground fairly 

 level. In these races my horse invaria])ly came in first, and 

 the pace he could go o\'er any description of ground was 

 astonishing. 



For tree work being mounted is a decided advantage. 

 Standing on the saddle enables one to investigate many 

 holes M'hich would otherwise only have been reached by 

 climbing, and would often bring one within reach of a branch 

 if the tree had to be ascended, and even if there were no 

 branch the height thus gained made a sfood start. On 



