January 2, 1899.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



and incessant song of the great reed warbler.* We 

 were very anxious to see the birds, but they clung to 

 their reeds and we did not catch sight of one until some 

 time afterwards under more favourable circumstances. 

 There were many ducks on the river, and waders on its 

 banks, to be carefully looked at, while now and again we 

 passed a reed-hut or a stack, the top of which was occupied 

 by a storkf sitting upon her nest. Once, on turning a 

 sharp comer as we were drifting down close to the river 

 bank, we came face to face with a great bustard I in all his 

 glory. We were so struck by the suddenness of the 

 meeting, and by the imposing size of the turkey -like bird 

 standing on the bank above us, that we had scarcely time 

 to realise what we saw before the bird had turned and 



Fio. 3.— About to turn the Horse. 



fled from our sight. I hope to say more of the great 

 bustard, for we both saw and shot them afterwards. We 

 saw many kites soaring in the distance, and once we were 

 treated to a very tine sight in bird-life. Some two hundred 

 or three hundred yards from the river there was evidently 

 a carcase, which we could not trace from the boat, but the 

 kites and vultures, those excellent scavengers, had found 

 it. We counted two hundred black kites j and four 

 Egyptian vultures in the air, and there must have been 

 many more on the ground. They were evidently gathering 

 from far and near. Many appeared as mere specks floating 

 up aloft, but as one's eye passed down the " column " of 

 birds, it could be seen that each individual with wings 

 outstretched was sweeping round and round in gigantic 

 circles, ever coming nearer and nearer to the earth, while 

 its place above was taken by another speck intent upon 

 the feast. So they succeeded one another, and what was 

 but a dot in the sky grew gradually larger and larger 

 until one could see the real size of the bird, and then its 

 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 dosed off to the aocom- 



* Acrocephalus arundinaceus. 

 § Milvus migrans. 



t Cicotiia alba. X Otis tarda. 

 11 Neophron percnopterus. 



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 heron t flying above us, and seeing some 

 rise up a little distance oft' 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. 



Perhaps our most interesting find on this island was a 

 nest of the black kite. The nest, which contained two 

 eggs, was placed like a heron's, in the reeds. The black 

 kite usually breeds in trees, and sometimes in cliffs and 

 towers. There could be no doubt about this nest in the 

 reeds, for we shot the bird as it flew from it, and the eggs 

 were typical kites' eggs. Our men said it was a common 

 habit of the black kites to build in these tall reeds. Kites 

 were numerous in the neighbourhood, and trees were very 

 scarce, but the reeds seemed to form an efficient substitute. 



As we were nearing the boat, after a four hours' " fight " 







-••.*• . 







Fid. 4. — Turning the Horse. 



with the reeds, we saw three harriers in the air : a pair of 

 Montagu's; (the male slate-grey, and the female dark 

 brown), and a marsh harrier, a much larger bird, with 

 grey wings and tail, and dark body. The smaller birds 

 were stooping at their larger cousin, while he kept tumbling 

 in the air in his endeavours to evade his tormentors. 

 What was the cause of the disagreement I do not know, 

 but the effect formed a very pretty sight. 



We visited this extraordinary island again on May 13th, 

 and found a nest of Montagu's harrier, containing five 



• Circus aeruginosas. 



% Circus cineraceus, 



t Ardea purpwea. 



