182 Mr. Howard Saunders on 



were constantly in view, though wary ; and Storks, Pratincoles, 

 Kentish Plovers {^gialitis cantiarius) , and Redshanks {Totanus 

 calidris) were found near every marshy spot. A fine male 

 Crane was trumpeting loudly some two hundred yards off; and 

 as we were standing up in our saddles, watching for any motion 

 in the reeds to indicate the presence of the female, she suddenly 

 made her appearance, and soon convinced us by her movements 

 that she had sneaked off the nest long ago. Stalking was use- 

 less. The corpse of an immature Vultur monachus was lying by 

 the skeleton of a dead mule ; and everywhere amongst the cattle 

 were immature Egyptian Vultures feeding on the soft droppings 

 of the calves ; hence their Andalusian name of Rejilerus. From 

 information we received from some herdsmen, attended, as 

 usual, by their magnificent white dogs, we gave vip any idea of 

 proceeding further along this treeless waste, and bent our steps 

 to the more wooded portion of the Goto de Dofiana, which we 

 had now entered. At noon we were again in the midst of old 

 timber swarming with Green Woodpeckers {Gecinus viridis) and 

 Hoopoes {Upupa epops). The latter had not yet begun to lay. 

 We were now in the cork-woods, and soon among several nests 

 of Black Kites, finding also one of the Common Kite with two 

 young birds. I called ManueFs attention to a large Eagle on 

 the wing, to which he replied that we were going straight to its 

 nest, which was every year in one or other of a clump of trees 

 to which he pointed, adding that it was a very large Eagle, and 

 never had but one, quite white egg. Sure enough, there was the 

 nest, in a large cork-tree, on another branch of which a pair of 

 Black Kites were building. The nest had evidently been used 

 several seasons. It contained one white egg, as large as a Sea- 

 Eagle's. The chick was ready to hatch. We could not obtain 

 the old birds ; but I watched the female for a long time with a 

 glass whilst one of the lads was lying in wait for her, and made 

 her out to be Circaetus {/alliens, even if the naked tarsi of the 

 chick had not been sufficient proof. The egg is far larger than 

 one I have in my collection from Styria, but not larger than an- 

 other taken by a friend of mine in the Algesiras cork-woods, 

 from which he shot the old bird. A nest of the Common Kite, 

 with one egg, a few more Black Kites, and a splendid male 



