A Crane's Sanctuary 111 
2 miles from north to south and rather less from east to west, in all 
some 2,500 acres, without a bush or stone or any other landmark 
in its whole extent, and for this reason admirably adapted for a 
nesting-place. Arrived at my destination, I hobbled my horse in 
a grove of wild olives and lay down on a low hill, about 15 ft. 
above the level of the marsh and proceeded to examine the ground 
before me with my field-glasses, but was not a little vexed to see 
the heads of two men above the reeds about a mile distant. Their 
unwelcome presence of course made all bird-watching, for the 
time at least, a farce, so I determined to go and find out what they 
were in quest of, horrid visions of the bestial ‘ paid collector” and 
his most accursed myrmidon the local sportsman passing through 
my mind as I did so. Upon the two men detecting my advance 
and imagining no doubt that I was a gwarda of sorts, they 
separated and made off in different directions. A man on foot how- 
ever has no chance against a Spanish horse bred in the marismas 
which is semi-aquatic in its habits, and despite deep mud, clinging 
reeds and much water it took but a short time to ride down 
one of them. He turned out to be a man well known to me from 
a village about 8 miles distant. He was carrying a gun and 
hence his anxiety to avoid interviewing an apparent stranger. He 
assured me he was merely egging and produced from a_ sack 
a number of Coots’ eggs in proof of his statement; for all 
eggs, including those of the Great and Little Bustards, Cranes, 
Stone Curlews, Wild Ducks, Herons or Terns, are eaten indis- 
criminately by the folk about here. Upon being pressed, he 
extricated from the sack several Wild Ducks which he had shot 
swimming about with their young broods, also some Coots and 
Whiskered Terns; It was of course useless to point out the 
enormity of his offence; he regretfully told me he had failed to 
find any Cranes’ eggs which he assured me were very gordo and 
excellent to eat, for how was a poor man on foot to see over the 
