A Wealth of Flowers 125 
plains through which the rivers run. Generally the river banks 
are cut vertically, or nearly so, for some feet by the rapid current, 
but at the bends sand spits are formed which afford good resting- 
places for the wild-fowl in winter and likewise for various nesting 
birds in summer. The rivers are of considerable depth, some of 
the small ones even being from 8 to 1o ft. deep at many spots 
and with few fords. These are of course well known to all the 
arrieros or muleteers, since in the absence of bridges their con- 
dition from day to day regulates all movement along the country 
tracks. Rivers, streams and lagunas are alike full of barbel which 
grow to some size. As the waters recede and the streams dry up, 
the fish make for the lower reaches but these in turn become dry 
and towards the end of a hot summer most of the smaller rivers 
are reduced to a series of stagnant pools of putrid green water 
which are literally alive with barbel and water-tortoises. What 
becomes of these when the pools finally dry up is one of the 
mysteries of southern Spain. The natives are convinced that both 
fish and tortoises burrow into the damp soil and remain there until 
the autumn rains. Certain is it that there is never any falling 
off either in the numbers or size of the barbel and tortoises when 
they reappear in the autumn. 
These great levels of slightly undulating grass-grown plains are 
known to the Spaniards as vegas and in the spring months their 
appearance is very beautiful. The higher portions, not liable to 
floods, are commonly covered with asphodel which often attains 
a height of 3 ft. to 4 ft. and at places the handsome dark-leaved 
Mediterranean squill rears its big blue-tufted head. These and the 
White Iris blossom much earlier than do the majority of the plants. 
To see the vega at its best, it should be visited in the month 
of May when the vivid green of the herbage is almost blotted 
out by the brilliancy of the masses of spring flowers. Nothing 
is more striking to the eye than the lavish manner in which 
