The Zoologist— August, 1871, 2713 



stately griffon, but as being the very ground which witnessed some 

 of Wellington's greatest battles (in 1813), I obtained a fine view of 

 the Bay of Biscay. I was disappointed in seeing no eagles in the 

 Pyrenees, but the spectacle of these grand mountains, wrapped in 

 snow, was surpassingly beautiful. We had the greatest difficulty 

 in proceeding, and at Sumaraga the train came to a standstill, four 

 engines being powerless to move her. After passing twenty-four 

 hours at a village inn the train again started, and, after many 

 stoppages, arrived at Alsasua, where we slept in the wagons. 



It was not until the 29th that I reached the capital of Spain, In 

 the game markets (at Madrid), which I made a point of visiting, I ob- 

 tained the pintailedand blackbreastedsand gxowse {Pier ode s alchata 

 and P.arenarius), crested and calandra larks {Galerida cristata and 

 Melanocorypha calandra), and saw many little bustards {Otis 

 tetrax), as also the following species : — little owl {Alhene noctua), 

 bean goose {Anser Segelum), water rail {Rallus aquaticus), thick- 

 knee {(Edicneinus crepilans), green sandpiper [Totanus ochropus), 

 corn bunting [Ember iza miliaria), partridge {Perdix cinerea) : 

 this last struck me as being very oddly speckled. But by far the 

 most cliaracteristic bird of Madrid is the redlegged partridge {Perdix 

 rubra), which assumes a brilliancy it never gets in England, and is 

 much more in request than the tasteless sand grouse. There is a very 

 remarkable melanism of this species in the museum of the Royal 

 Academy. Two specimens very similar to it are in the museum at 

 Paris, labelled as having been " bought in the market in December, 

 1859." Perhaps it is a race like that variety of the common partridge 

 which has been termed Perdix montana. I was not a little surprised 

 to find in the magnificent galleries at Madrid some pictures devoted 

 to Ornithology. Many interesting species were delineated, but 

 without much pretension to scientific accuracy. Between the 

 Spanish capital and Cadiz I saw a gray shrike and many large 

 hawks, at too great a distance for identification. Between Cadiz 

 and Gibraltar I saw a skua {Slercorarius catarrhacles) : this bold 

 bird was swimming about a gunshot from the vessel. 



Gibraltar is rather a good place for birds. It has been surmised 

 that many migratory species take advantage of its proximity to the 

 African coast, and no shooting is ever allowed on the rock. The 

 great tameness of the gulls in the harbour {Larus ridibundus and 

 L. marinus?) arises solely from their never being molested. From 

 O'Hara's Tower I obtained a view of a pair of Bonelli's eagles 



