Serrania de Ronda 363 



400 yards away. The intervening ground was rugged — rocks and brush- 

 wood with scattered pines — and except the first 50 yards, the stalk 

 offered no difficulty. T had passed the dangerous bit, and was already 

 within 200 yards, when in a moment the wet mist settled down again 

 and I saw the game no more. Curiously, on the fog first lifting, an eagle 

 sat all bedraggled and woe-begone on a rock-point hard by, his feathers 

 fluffed out and a great yellow talon protruding, as it seemed, from the 

 centre of his chest. Then a faint sun-ray played on his bronzed 

 plumage : he shook himself and launched forth in air, sweeping down- 

 wards — luckily without moving the ibex, though they took note of the 

 circumstance. 



In the lower forests here are some pig and roe-deer. A far 

 greater stronghold, however, for both these game-animals is at 

 Almoraima, belonging to the Duke of Medinaceli, some six or 

 eio-ht leagues to the westward. Almoraima covers a vast extent 

 of wild mountainous land of no great elevations generally, but all 

 wooded and jungle-clad. On the low^er levels grow immense 

 cork-forests. Here, during a series of nwnterkis in February 

 1910, in which the w^riter, to his lasting regret, was prevented 

 from taking part, a total of 19 roe-deer and 52 boars was 

 secured. The two best I'oebuck heads measured as follows : — 



Lenirth ^,. „ ,,,. , ,,,. 



/ 4 • 1 \ Circunifereiice. iip to ill). 



(outside curve). ' 



No. 1 . . . 9.V' 3.V' ^" 



No. 2 . . . o|" 4|" 3" 



III. Sjei;i;a de Jekez 



These mountains (being within sight of our home) formed the 

 scene of our earliest sporting ventures in Spain. It is forty years 

 ago now, yet do we not forget that first day and its anxieties, as 

 we rode by crevices that serve for bridle-paths, along with a too 

 jovial hill-farmer, Barrt'-a by name, who persisted in carrying a 

 loaded oun swinoincv haphazard and full-cock in the saddle-slings 

 — that it was loaded we saw by the shiny copper cap on each 

 nipple ! Our objects that day were boar and roe-deer ; but 

 presently a partridge was descried sprinting up the rugged screes 

 above. Out came the ready gun, and next moment all that 

 remained of that partridge wns a cloud of feathers and scuttered 

 anatomy. The ball had gone true. Barrea casually shouted to 

 a lad to pick up the pieces, himself riding on as though such 

 practice was an everyday aftair. My own experience of l>all- 



