The River. 



markings and feathers. We saw many such sights during 

 our stay in Spain, but never again on so grand a scale. 



It was dark before we had tied up our boat alongside an 

 island in shallow water. Our ever cautious commander 

 remarked that the steamers plying up and down this river 

 were very careless as to whom they ran down, but, said 

 he, if a steamer tries to come where we are she will run 

 aground before she can get near us. So we felt safe as we 

 turned in to our little cabin and dozed off to the accom- 

 paniment of many strange cries from birds flying over our 

 boat. 



The next day (April 5th) we explored the island to which 

 our boat was anchored. This island was almost entirely 

 covered with reeds, not ordinary reeds such as one sees in 

 England, but reeds as thick as one's wrist, and from 

 twelve to fifteen feet high. Moreover, they grew so thickly 

 together that it was exceedingly hard work to force a way 

 through them. Here and there we came to a comparatively 

 open spot, covered with broken reeds to the depth of two 

 or three feet. In three of these open spaces we found 

 nests in the shape of large heaps of broken reeds, on the 

 top of which were hollows lined with finer stuff. Two of 

 these nests contained round dirty white eggs, which we 

 were able to identify with certainty by shooting two female 

 marsh harriers* as they rose from them. We often caught 

 sight of a purple heronf flying above us, and seeing some 

 rise up a little distance off we forced our way through the 

 reeds to the spot. Our labours were rewarded by the 

 discovery of several nests, built high up amongst the reeds. 

 We soon cut them down, and possessed ourselves of the 

 bluish- green eggs which they contained. 



* Circus osru(jino&us. f Ardea purpurea. 



