8 



KNOWLEDGE 



[J.4NUARy 2, 1899. 



eggs. Here, again, we were lucky enough to shoot the 

 female bird, and thus identify the egga without a doubt. 

 This nest was nothing more than a few pieces of old 

 broken reeds placed on the ground, and well hidden in the 

 midst of a patch of young reeds. We also found on this 

 day a beautiful nest of the marbled duck,* containing 

 thirteen rich cream-coloured eggs. 



Arrived at the boat, we sailed some way down the river, 

 and eventually anchored at the mouth of a small creek, 

 which was to be our camping place for a week or so 

 while we explored the marismas. I shall reserve for my 

 nest article the description of what we saw and obtained 

 in this wilderness of water and mud, scantily covered with 

 coarse vegetation. There was little to be seen from our 

 boat. A great expanse — flat and unbroken, save for a few 

 cattle, a reed hut or two, and a distant clump of trees- 

 stretching away to the horizon in front, while the river, 

 with its muddy waters and calm siu-face, flowed evenly 

 behind us. 



There is a very general idea that in a wild and un- 

 cultivated country where few human beings are to be 

 found the birds are much tamer than in a populous 

 country such as England. We did not find this to be the 

 case in Andalucia ; indeed, many birds which we had 

 always considered tame and confiding in England were 

 quite the reverse in the marismas. Those who have 

 collected in other wild countries will bear me out in this, 

 the reason for which I think must be that in a country 

 where man is rarely seen the birds never have a chance 

 of becoming accustomed to him, and consequently shun 

 him in the same way that a horse will shy at a strange 

 object by the roadside. There was no cover above a foot 

 high in this part of the marismas, and it may well be 

 asked how we managed to get near enough the birds to 

 shoot them. 

 The wild-fowler in England uses a punt to approach 



Fio. 5.— Tying Head to Tail. 



his birds, or he stalks them through some short cover, or 

 he hides himself and waits for the birds to come to 

 him. The patero, the wild-fowler of the marismas of 

 Andalucia, uses a specially trained horse, from behind 

 which he steals unawares upon the flamingo, goose, or 

 duck. We were accompanied by two pateros, each with 

 his stalking horse, or cabestro, and I may safely say that 

 we should have collected very few burds in these open 



* Anas angustirostris. 



plains without the help of our cabestro. They were small 

 and poor looking animals, but they never seemed to tu:e, 

 and were exceedingly well trained to their work. 



If the reader will turn to the accompanying illustrations 

 he will get a general idea as to how these horses are used. 

 Suppose you wish to approach a flock of birds feeding 

 far out in a shallow lake. You go as near as you dare, 

 walking upright behind the horse, but you must be careful. 

 The birds take no notice of anything under the horse's 

 belly, but if they catch sight of your head or hat above 

 his back they are alarmed directly. They are ah-eady 



Fig. 6.— The Shot. 



looking suspicious, although you are still a long way off. 

 You stop, and the horse is so well trained that he imme- 

 diately stops also, and puts his head down as though he 

 were feeding. There is nothing for him to eat except dry 

 caked mud, but the birds do not know that, and seeing 

 him quietly feeding, they take no more notice of him than 

 of the thousands of half-wild horses and bulls which 

 inhabit the marismas. Your patero arranges the halter, 

 studies the wind and the situation of the birds, and then 

 the stalk begins in earnest. 



The patero has the halter in one hand and his gun in 

 the other. With his body bent, so that nothing appears 

 above the horse's back, he walks slowly and carefully 

 along, keeping close to its shoulders. He guides his beast 

 by means of the halter and his elbow, the latter being 

 kept pressed into the horse's ribs (Fig. 1). Now and 

 again he takes a look at the birds from under the neck 

 of his cabestro, Y'ou follow exactly in his footsteps, 

 keeping close to the horse, with one hand on his hip, so 

 that when he takes a long or quick stride you may not be 

 left behind, and thus be seen by the birds. Meanwhile, 

 the horse itself is acting with great intelligence. He goes 

 along slowly, lifting his legs carefully, and putting them 

 down with great deliberation, and all the while his head 

 is kept low, as though he were browsing or drinking. 

 You have been approaching the birds at an angle, and it 

 soon becomes necessary to turn and make another tack. 

 The patero stops, and, going a step away from the horse, 

 motions you to step aside too, and crouch behind him. 

 He then gives the halter a sharp puU, and the horse 

 turns round so quickly that the birds scarcely notice the 

 action (Figs. 8 and 4). 



On you go again, and are soon trudging through the 

 water. There are many things to try you. The horse 

 stirs up the mud, and you cannot see where you are putting 



