Wild-Geese in Spain 115 



asleep ou some broad lucio or other bare open space. That liabit, 

 however, is subject to modification during the periods of full 

 moon, when many geese avail themselves of her brilliant light 

 to feed in even greater security than they can enjoy Ijy day. 

 Their food consists exclusively of vegetable substances — at first 

 of the remnants of the summer's herbage, such as green ribbon- 

 grass (canaliza), and other semi-aquatic plants; 

 their main sustenance in mid-winter consists of 

 the tuber-bearing roots of spear-grass {Cypoms 

 longus and C. rotundus) which they dig up 

 from the ground. 



When autumn rains are long delayed, their ^^Li/ 



voracious armies will already have consumed 7 ntll 



every green thing that remains in the parched 

 marismas Ions: before the "new water" from 

 the heavens shall have furnished new feeding- 

 o^rounds. In such cases the o-eese are forced 

 to depart, and do so — so far as our observation 

 in the direction of Morocco ; returninoj 



ofoes- 



thence (within a few hours) immediately after 

 rain has fallen. Their entry, on this second 

 arrival, is invariably from the south and south- 

 west — that is, from the sea. 



There are three methods of shooting wild- 

 geese in the Spanish marismas which may here 

 be specified, to wit : — 



(1) Morning-fiight, when the geese habitu- 

 ally come to " take sand " at the dawn. See 

 next chapter. 



(2) "Driving" during the day (available 

 only in dry years). 



(3) Awaiting their arrival at dusk at their dormideros, or 

 sleeping-places, see pp. 97, 98. 



An all-important factor in their pursuit arises from an 

 economic necessity with wild-geese constantly to possess, and 

 frequently to renew, a store of sand or grit in their gizzards. 

 To obtain this they resort every morning to certain sandy spots 

 in the marismas (hereinafter described, and which are known as 

 vetas) ; or failing that, when the said vetas are submerged, to 

 the sand-dunes outside. Although great numbers of geese resort 



ROOT OF SPEAR- 

 GRASS 



