MEDITERRANEAN NOTES 215 



me the local names.* He recognised the white-headed 

 duck (Erismatura leucocephala] as one of a species which 

 appeared at Santa Olalla this year for the first time to 

 his knowledge. We laid our plans for an early start 

 after the geese to-morrow morning." 



"February i^th. Intent on wild geese, I and 



I rose about 5 a.m., and started in the steam launch 

 with the captain and the gente to a spot some two miles 

 down the river in the Isla Menor. The hijos de Manuel 

 and Perico borrowed a big hoe and soon dug me out a 



hole in the open field, the captain and I concealed 



themselves as best they could farther along, and Miguel 

 and Francisco went away to stalk with the horse and try 

 to put the geese (of which many hundreds were feeding 

 in sight of us) over our heads. These ninos went a long 

 way, and we waited more or less patiently for some three 



hours, but the geese passed over I and T., quite out 



of shot, although they both fired. One flock of some 

 fifteen or sixteen great bustards passed out of shot and 

 settled not very far behind us, and when the ninos came 

 back with one goose we went and took up position along 

 the bank of the river for them. Perico went round to 

 put them over, and before they got up some geese came, 

 and, passing close to the captain, he bagged two at one 



* "A. boscas, f Pato real ' ; A. acuta, ' P. rabudo ' ; A. marmorata, 

 1 Ruilla ' ; A. clypeata, ' Sardinero ' ; Q. crecca, ' Sarcereta ' ; Q. cirtia, 

 1 Carranaca ' ; Tadorna cornuta, ' Ansereta ' ; T. rutila, ' Pato 

 tarro.' " 



