Bird Life in the Spanish Marismas 



315 



after liis seraglio without deigning" to take tiie sliglitest 

 notice of us. 



On tlie level plains Eee-eaters were eonstantly to he 

 seen. Their jnodii.s opcrdndi appears to he something simihir 

 to that of tl\e Flycatchers. Instead of keeping constantly 

 on the wing like the Swallows, they sit on some hare twig 



Nest of Stilt {Hiniantopiis catididiis). 



or branch, on the look-out for passing insects, and dash 

 out after tliem, returning either to the same or to some 

 other perch. Their burrows are to be found in banks such 

 as at tlie side of a ri^'er or road, and also on the level 

 ground. One day we borrowed a spade from a herdsman's 

 cottage and dug out several holes. The soil was a very 

 light, sandy earth, covered with scanty turf. The burrows were 



