52 BIRD-HUNTING 



difference in size they were apparently an old camel 

 and a young one about half-grown. 



The Red Deer, of which there were great numbers, 

 were also frequently to be seen close to the few and 

 scattered huts. For this is one of the most famous 

 and best-stocked sporting preserves in all Spain, 

 both for big game, such as deer and boar, &c., and 

 for ducks, geese, partridges, woodcocks, and snipe. 



The sand-dunes, which cover an immense extent 

 of country, and which are ever encroaching on the 

 forests, and filling up the numerous lakes and lagoons 

 with fine particles blown about by the wind, are a 

 curious feature of this district. As these dunes 

 advance one sees the pine-trees in all stages of being 

 engulfed. Here is one buried but a foot or two, 

 vigorous as ever ; there are trees the whole of whose 

 trunks are completely covered with the advancing 

 sand ; while higher up, bleached and lifeless branches, 

 like the gaunt skeletons of extinct monsters, testify 

 to the buried forests beneath. These sand-dunes 

 are inhabited by rabbits, Stone Curlews, and 

 Red-necked Nightjars, while the tamarisks and 

 cistus bushes provide shelter for the Red Deer, 

 and the manchas, or jungles, harbour many a Wild 

 Boar. Over the dazzling surface dart the great 

 green Eyed Lizards, some of them nearly three feet 

 long, and snakes up to six feet ; while overhead 

 are Kites and Eagles incessantly on the watch, 



