174 Lord Lilford un the Ornithology of Spain. 



Louis Michel, who had been for four years in their employment, 

 and to whom I am indebted for the excellent condition of my 

 specimens, and for very agreeable companionship during my stay 

 in Spain. We arrived in Madrid, by way of Paris and Irun, 

 on the 3rd of April 1865, and I at once set about trying to ob- 

 tain permission to explore the Sitios Reales, or royal preserves. 

 I found considerable difficulty in making my Spanish friends 

 understand or believe that I only wished to shoot birds for pre- 

 servation, and not to kill game ; and in spite of the great kind- 

 ness of Her Majesty's minister, Sir John Crampton, and Senor 

 Banuelos, of the Spanish Foreign Office, I did not receive the 

 required authority till April 15th. In the mean time, I had 

 ransacked the very scanty stores of the only two professional 

 bird-stuffers in Madrid, Seiior M. Sanches, of the museum in the 

 Calle de Alcala, and Senor Severini, in the Carretera de San Ge- 

 ronimo; but although they both had a good many specimens, 

 some of which were of considerable interest,, most of them were 

 in such an extremely bad state of preservation as to be worthless. 

 I, however, managed to pick out fair specimens of Aquila heliaca, 

 Bubo maximus, Oxylopkus glandarius, Cyanopica cooki, and 

 Pterocles arenarius, besides a few eggs. In the markets I met with 

 nothing of great interest, but procured some fine specimens of 

 Otis tetrax in full breeding-plumage. 



I had been told by several persons that in the grounds of the 

 Casa de Campo, a small country-house belonging to the Queen, 

 to the south-west of Madrid, a good many birds of different sorts 

 were to be met with ; and I was particularly recommended to apply 

 to the King's head-chasseur (who lived in these grounds) for 

 information and assistance in everything relating to beasts and 

 birds. Accordingly, on the 8th of April, I sallied out by the 

 Puerta de San Miguel, and, crossing the Manzanares by the 

 Puente de Toledo, soon found myself at the gates of the royal 

 demesne. On inquiry at the porter's lodge I found that Manuel 

 de la Torre, the chasseur above mentioned, was away on a shoot- 

 ing-expedition, but was expected back eveiy day. I roamed 

 about for some hours amongst the groves and alleys of the 

 Casa de Campo, and was much interested by the birds I saw. 

 The beautiful Spanish Magpie, Cyanopica cooki, was very abun- 



