CONTRIBUTION'S TO THE FAUNA OF SPAIN : BEJAR. 37 



Piedrahita there were several nests of storks on belfries. These we 

 also saw on churches on the way to El Barco, and, in one field by the 

 way, were twenty-four of these birds. On a belfry close to my bed- 

 room window at Piedrahita was a great nest, where always were two of 

 the great white birds in the evening, but they were always gone in the 

 morning. Birds of many species were numerous in this region. 

 Perhaps the most interesting item was at El Barco. Here the old 

 castle has four sides and a great square court in the centre. This is 

 now used as the campo santo of the village. When we went in to look 

 at this we disturbed a dozen or two hawks, apparently kestrels ; some 

 took wing and others kept their stations on the walls, but all more or 

 less expressed their opinion of our intrusion in a deal of screaming. 

 It was very obvious that they were allowed to live and nest here, and 

 were never molested. They were indifferent to the natives, biit we 

 were some new and very possibly dangerous animal. Though Avila 

 is on the regular route of the Spanish tourist, it is also worth a visit 

 from the entomologist. It is a busy little place. The ancient walls, 

 with their towers and gates, are in excellent preservation. The 

 eastern end of the cathedral, forming part of the city Avails and forti- 

 fications of the city, is very curious. Situated 3600 feet above sea 

 level, it did not quite meet the hopes raised by Baedeker's statement 

 that it is in a plain, surrounded by lofty mountains, the nearest being 

 the eastern end of the Sierra de Oredos, here dwindled to a low- 

 looking ridge, with no point 2000 feet above Avila within ten or 

 fifteen miles, still the Sierras de Gredos and Guadarrama are at no 

 very great distance on either side. There are some limestone outcrops; 

 near Avila, and near one of these which we detected, 1 found Pohjoin- 

 inatim cori/ilon, for the only occasion in our excursion, flying sparsely. 

 The form is very close to the var. hixpa)ia taken last year at Cuenca 

 and Albarracin, but rather smaller, and, instead of a tolerably uniform 

 type, varies very much in the extent of the black marking. Another 

 insect met with here was < 'ranibns cnencalis, hitherto known from a 

 single specimen taken by Korb at Cuenca. This was rare, amongst 

 rushes growing in upland billows, no trace of it being seen amongst 

 rushes by the river Adaja. I found a cocoon of Xmlaria initrina in the 

 cathedral ; it also occurred at Bejar. This cocoon is very slight, but 

 has the larval hairs regularly disposed along either side so as to stand 

 np as a crest, a very similar arrangement to that carried to great per- 

 fection by some Euchromias and other Syntomids. 



In ascending the Sierra de Ijejar our proceeding was to take the 

 post or diligence to Candelario. In the diligence there always travelled 

 an ancient Spanish gentleman, who was no other than the postman, and 

 who, for some thirty-five years, had gone daily to and fro between Bejar 

 and Candelario, carrying the mail in a leather pouch with the inscrip- 

 tion " Ayuntamiento de Candelario." He wore a more thoroughly native 

 costume than was to be often seen in Bejar, but such as was frequent 

 in Candelario. He had never been to the top of the Sierra, or to any 

 distance from Bejar. In Candelario itself the women all wear a 

 special costume and dress the hair in a special way, of neither of 

 which is any trace to be seen in P>ejar, or in any other place we visited. 

 The road to Candelario ascends the valley of the Cuerpo del Hombre, 

 which, for most of the way, is in a narrow gorge, the rocky sides of 

 which are clothed with various species of broom, especially Genista 



