The Marismas of Guadalquivir 95 



by masses of ducks, huddled together hke dusky islets ; while 

 further away several army -corps of geese were striving, with 

 sonorous gabble, to tear up tuberous roots of spear -grass 

 (castanuela) from sun-baked mud. 



It was a rifle-shot at these last that finally set the whole host 

 on wing — an indescribable spectacle, hurrying hordes everywhere 

 outflanked by the glinting black and pink glamour of flamingoes. 

 Then th(^ noise — the reverberating roar of wings, blending with 



/. 



w^^^ 



r 



r 







"FLAMINGOES OVER" 



a babel of croaks and gabblings, whistles and querulous pipes, 

 punctuated by shriller bi-tones, ... we give that up. 



A long ride in prospect precluded serious operations to-night, 

 but towards dusk we lined out our four guns, and in half an hour 

 loaded up the panniers of the carrier-ponies with nearly three score 

 ducks and geese. 



An hour before the morning's dawn we were in position to 

 await the earliest geese. Experience had taught the chief flight- 

 lines, and these, over many miles of marsh, were commanded 

 by lines of sunken tubs. These, however, the exceptional 

 conditions had rendered temporarily useless. Our tubs lay miles 



