390 Lord Lilford on the Ornithology of Spain. 



taken from a nest at Aranjuez on May 7th. The nests, of 

 which Ave found several, were generally placed on the lowest 

 branches of a tall pine, at their junction with the main trunk, 

 and were built of sticks, but inside invariably contained fresh 

 twigs with the green leaves adhering to them. This Eagle has 

 a shrill, piercing scream, different from that of any other rap- 

 torial bird with which I am acquainted. 



We shot a Common Kite [Milvus ictinus) from the nest, 

 which contained two half-fledged young, and also found a nest 

 of the Common Buzzard, in which was a young bird not long 

 hatched, and a large lizard, both of which were devoured by 

 our young Vulture after a little pressing. I may here mention 

 that I reared and brought home this Vulture, which soon 

 became very tame, and that very evening devoured the greater 

 part of the body of his maternal parent, which M. Michel had 

 skinned in an incredibly short space of time. This young 

 Vulture has now grown into an enormous bird ; he is alive and 

 well, and, though not so amiable in temper as he was during 

 his infancy, appears to live amicably with a fine old Golden 

 Eagle in my aviary here, recalling to my mind many cosas de 

 Espajia, and making me long to be once more amongst the 

 pines of San Ildefonso, with the untiring Manuel and trusty 

 Agapo. 



The commonest birds in this forest are Woodpigeons {Co- 

 (umba palumbus) , GresLt Spotted Woodpeckers, Chaffinches, Nut- 

 hatches, and Coal-Titmice, besides the various birds of prey before 

 mentioned. 1 on this day saw a Dipper {Cinclus aquaticus) for 

 the first time in Spain ; this bird is common on the Eresma 

 and the other mountain-streams of this district. A pair of Red- 

 starts were nesting in the roof of the church of San Ildefonso, 

 which were, I presume, of the race or variety known as the 

 Grey Redstart {Ruticilla cairii), as both male and female were 

 in a state of plumage very closely resembling that of the females 

 of R. tithys. I could not shoot them, as they always haunted 

 the church in the middle of the village ; but I had numerous 

 opportunities of observing them closely, as the window of my 

 room commanded a full and near view of their favourite habitat. 

 The song of the male bird resembles that of the Common Red- 



