PORTUGAL 257 



shot. This he does with the greatest accuracy. He devotes great 



attention to his dogs, ever trying to improve the breed. His nephew 



Fernando, Hke his uncle, is an excellent sportsman. Strange to say, 



quail remain all the winter in some parts of the country, principally in 



the Alemtejo. 



Bustards {batardas) are abundant in some parts of the Alemtejo ; 



they are either driven to the ouns, or else the sportsmen 



^ "^ ^ Bustard. 



go in Alemtejano carts, covered with herbage, and drawn 



by mules. This is the most successful method, as the bustards, which 



are very shy, can thus be approached. 



Grey plover {algareivoes) and lesser bustards (cisoes) are also 

 driven, and green plover are shot when they rise on the wing. 



Birds of prey, such as the eagle [agtda), vulture [adutre), hawk 



i falcao), etc., abound everywhere, but are not shot in 



^•^ ^ ^ . Eagles, etc. 



any special manner. The woods in the acorn season 



are infested by flocks of pigeons [ponibo), which do immense damage, 



the proprietors often letting off rockets to drive them away. 



At this season pigeon-shooting is very interesting, as decoy birds 



are placed in the cork trees, while the sportsmen hide 



Pigeons. 

 themselves in bowers formed of branches around the 



trees. On the Tagus, in Paul de Mugem, near Salvaterra dos Magos, 



at the mouth of the Aveiro, in the lagoons d'Albufeira, lagoons 



d'El-Rei, of Obidos, St. Andre de Melides, there is splendid winter 



shooting of ducks (patos reaes), geese {gansos), wigeon 



Wild Fowl. 

 {patos marrecos), whistling -ducks [assobiadeiras), coots 



{galleiroes), dab-chicks (negrinkas), and trumpeters {trontbeteiros). 



On the Tagus these birds are principally shot early in the morning 



