Avifauna of the Eastern Pyrenees. 5^ 



of May this village still wore a wintry aspect^ for the few trees 

 in the valley were leafless and the snow was everywhere close 

 at hand. Indeed, save for the presence of a few gay alpine 

 flowers, it was difficult to realize that one was in the south of 

 Europe, and that the season was not what it seemed. Nor 

 does the native contribute anything to make the place more 

 genial, for the narrow crooked passages which pass for streets 

 are ankle-deep in manure, or in filth cast from the windows 

 of the bordering houses so frequently as to render wading 

 through these " rotten rows " rather nervous work. Of 

 birds, the feature of this place was the extraordinary abun- 

 dance of the Hedge Accentor. We never before saw this 

 bird in numbers anything approaching those in which it was 

 here. It was also simply everywhere, from the village and 

 its environs up to the highest point reached in our investi- 

 gations on the mountains, 6100 feet, where its cheery song- 

 was heard, and its flitting form noted on all the patches of 

 rhododendron-scrub or of barren rocks free from snow. The 

 other species which push their way thus far up this higher 

 Pyrenean valley are the Martin, Whinchat, Yellow Bunting, 

 and Water Pipit, which are common, the latter especially so 

 in the moist meadows by the river-side ; the Blackstart, Grey 

 Linnet, Swallow, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch, and Red- 

 breast were also observed, though in less numbers ; whilst the 

 Kestrel, Missel Thrush, and Wren ascend the mountains to 

 at least 6000 feet. 



One of the main objects for visiting Hospitalet was to 

 arrange, if possible, for a guide aud mules to take us over 

 the main chain into Andorra — 25 miles distant — which can 

 be accomplished from this village by two passes, the Port 

 de Framiquel and the Port de Saldeu, both at little over 

 8200 feet. On making known our desire to him who had 

 been recommended to us as a guide, and to the landlord of the 

 little auberge, we were at once informed that such a journey 

 was quite impossible, both exclaiming ''Neige, beaucoup 

 de neige ! " so energetically and repeatedly that there seemed 

 no other course open to us but to abandon our plans. It was 

 explained to us that the passes are not sufficiently free from 



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