78 Mr. A. Cliapman's Rough Notes 



were all layings and we frequently found the eggs of all three 

 sucked by the first-named mischievous vermin. It is strange 

 that the Jay, which is abundant in Portugal, should be 

 entirely absent from these Cotos. During April and May the 

 cock Partridge was very noisy, and frequently perched on a 

 high stump or dead branch to sing its peculiar song. 

 Among the cork-trees, pairs of Golden Orioles were making 

 love in their peculiar fashion, the male hovering suspended 

 in the air like a Kestrel ; Woodchats scolded from every bush, 

 and flocks of Bee-eaters gleamed like jewels in the sun. Tur- 

 tledoves, which appeared on the 10th, were now scattered 

 over the plains in very great numbers; every few yards a 

 dozen or so would spring from the scrub, and dash away with 

 impetuous flight. I found them very good eating ; perhaps 

 they accommodated themselves to my crude style of cooking 

 better than other birds. None of these sjiecies have eggs till 

 about the middle of May, though the equally brilliant Roller 

 had already commenced laying^. Another bird characteristic 

 of the scrub is the Stone-Curlew {(Edicnemus scolopax). On 

 these flat plains they were difficult of access, and, if winged, 

 ran like a hare. Towards evening they are very noisy, piping 

 something like a Curlew in spring. On the night of April 

 15th, while skinning a lynx by the light of our fire, the air 

 around seemed full of them, their vociferations resounding 

 from the darkness on every side. I found the first nest, or 

 rather a single egg, on the bare sand, on 18th April. Their 

 footprints in the sand are rectilineal. These fine birds are 

 resident, or at least are found throughout the winter. I 

 have met with them in strange situations : high up on the 

 barren stony mountains of the Minho, in Northern Portugal, 

 flocks of them frequented the damp spots along the courses 

 of the old Roman aqueducts. This was in November. 

 Their local name there was "Mountain-Curlew^' (Masarico 

 de montes). Apropos of these hills the following rather 

 strange incidents are perhaps worth noting : — Far out among 

 the boulder-strewn ridges, while Redleg-shooting, I used to 



* As late as May 9th I watched a pair of Golden Orioles to their nest 

 in a tall " white elm ;'' but it was then onlj half fiuished. 



