40 On the Guadalguiver. 



bank or into flat ground. The natives place nooses, 

 fastened to a peg driven into the ground, over these 

 nesting holes, so that when the bird emerges it is caught 

 and strangled. The bird which we shot had evidently 

 loosened the peg and flown away with a burden from 

 which nothing but death could release it. 



But notwithstanding this wealth of colour, melody was 

 not wanting, for everywhere nightingales* poured forth 

 their songs, although certainly not such full-toned ones 

 as we have in England. Now and again we heard a soft 

 "hoo-hoo," and an occasional hiss, and found the per- 

 former a hoopoe,t strutting about, proudly raising its 

 beautiful crest. 



Amongst others of the many birds we saw were several 

 little owls.:[ One of these comical little birds allowed us 

 to ride right up to it, as it sat in a small tree. We stared 

 hard at it, and it stared hard at us, with its yellow eyes. 

 I almost touched the bird with the muzzle of my gun, 

 whereat it flew off to another tree, and proceeded to hurl 

 screeches and whoo-whcos at us. 



We did not always ride about this country ; indeed, we 

 found a long lonely walk often a great relief, and a great 

 advantage, for one cannot observe small birds from horse- 

 back, besides which, our horses, although hobbled at night, 

 would sometimes be driven by flies and mosquitoes to a 

 worse torment — a leech-infested marsh — and, as a con- 

 sequence, would appear in the morning only fit (as the 

 keepers remarked) for the bull ring. 



One of these lonely walks may be worth recording. I 

 had been forcing my way through the thickest cover for 

 some miles without seeing anything but a stag or two 



* Daulias luscinia. f Upiipa ejjojjs. X Athene noctua. 



