A "WINTER CAMPAIGN IN DON ANA. 365 



faint lastro they follow with the certainty and patience of 

 a bloodhound. This is, however, a distinct branch of 

 sport, to which we owe many a pleasant day on the South- 

 Spanish plains, and a separate chapter is devoted to its 

 description. 



One day we tried a novel method of approaching the 

 wildfowl on the shores of a lake which lay at a distance of 

 three or four miles. This was by means of the cahresto, or 

 decoy pom- — a curious experience. The wildest waterfowl 

 are at the mercy of a clever fowler provided with one of 

 these ponies. As there are many half-wild mares pas- 

 turing at large over the swamps, the ducks are accustomed 

 to the sight of them and take no alarm at their proximity. 

 As we approached the lake, its flat sandy margin was in 

 places black with wildfowl, while myriads sat on the 

 surface, splashing and pluming themselves in the sun- 

 shine. With each of the three ponies went its owner, a 

 patera, or professional wildfowl-shooter, each taking with 

 him one of us — almost literally — " in tow," for, with one 

 hand grasping the pony's tail, the other carrying the gun, 

 we followed each close behind his patcro, who directed the 

 pony towards the thickly-covered shore. AYe proceeded 

 thus, crouching behind the pony's quarters, till we had 

 approached within 100 yards of the fowl. The leading 

 patcro now stopped his pony, which at once com- 

 menced to feed, an example followed by the rest — we six 

 men sitting meanwhile on the grass. No alarm was shown 

 by the ducks. A cord was now slipped over the neck of 

 each cahrestro and made fast to its off foreleg above the 

 knee, bringing the heads of the ponies close to the ground, 

 thus giving them the appearance of grazing, though in 

 truth we were now on bare dry mud. We continued 

 approaching thus, and the interval was now reduced to 

 fifty yards ; looking beneath the ponies we could see 

 hundreds of ducks all playing themselves in fancied secu- 

 rity. There, close at hand, sat or swam wigeon and 

 mallards, shovelers, garganeys, teal and pintails, a 

 few gadwall and several of the curious heavy-headed 

 " porrones " {Erismatiira iiicrm), with diving-ducks and 



