34 DRESSER : THREE WEEKS ON THE GUADALQUIVIR. 



a flock of Pin-tailed Sand-Grouse {Pterocles alchata), which were, 

 however, very shy, and as we passed the place where we first 

 observed them we found one egg placed in a mere depression in the 

 ground, without any lining. We quartered the ground here most 

 carefully, but though we found several Pratincole's nests, this was 

 the only one of the Sand-Grouse we succeeded in discovering. After 

 riding some distance, and passing through several large water-covered 

 marshes, where we found some large colonies of the Whiskered Tern 

 breeding, we reached the places where the Flamingoes bred, and 

 where we saw several old nests, but though we saw large numbers 

 of the birds, there was no sign of any recent nests; but we found one 

 empty egg, which had probably been sucked by a Harrier. 



From here we went over to the sandhills which we passed 

 through two days previously, to reach which we had to wade for 

 nearly a mile through water which reached nearly up to the horses' 

 bellies. Here we halted for lunch under a large stone-pine, and 

 whilst the men were resting and the horses feeding, I rambled round, 

 but found nothing of interest, except a good-sized Land Tortoise, 

 which I caught and packed in one of the baskets, and which we 

 •eventually brought home. Here there were several places where 

 the wild hogs had been rooting, quite lately, but I did not meet with 

 any. After lunch we started on, and, early in the afternoon, reached 

 the keeper's house from where we first started, and having time 

 ■enough to spare, we got a table put out under a tree, and blew eggs 

 for a couple of hours or more, whilst the horses rested. The 

 keeper's wife, who most hospitably offered us goat's milk, and in 

 fact everything she had in the way of food, told me that there were 

 several men in San Lucar who devoted most of their time during 

 the spring to collecting eggs for the market, and told our man 

 where we should find one old veteran who had collected for many 

 years, and knew all the best nesting-places for many miles round the 

 town. I had arranged for the launch to meet us at the landing-place 

 between four and five, so we went there soon after four, and sent 

 the horses away ; but the launch did not put in an appearance till 

 six o'clock, when we went aboard and steamed off to Bonanza, and 

 at once started off on foot to San Lucar to hunt up the old egger. 

 On the way we passed several cottages, the inmates of which were 

 enjoying the rest of Saturday evening outside, and at one cottage 

 a couple of pretty dark girls were dancing to the music of a guitar, 

 which they accompanied with castanets, the rest of the party sitting 

 down and keeping time by hand-clapping. 



Arrived at the town, we soon found the old egger, who was with 

 the rest of the family sitting in the 'patio,' listening to a young fellow 



Naturalist, 



