dresser: three weeks on the OUADALgUIVIR. 21 



and we spent the rest of the evening l)lo\ving eggs and skinning 

 birds. 



The next morning (yth May) we were up at six, and, after 

 getting up steam, started for a place where we expected to find the 

 Little Bustard {Otis tetrax), arriving there soon after ten, and at 

 once went ashore. To-day we were on foot, having sent the horses 

 off to some distance, intending to rejoin them to-morrow. We passed 

 through large tracts of grass-land, and in one place we had to pass 

 through a large enclosure, in which were numbers of fighting bulls, 

 so-called 'Toros bravos,' destined for the bull-ring, which are often 

 very awkward customers to meet. We gave them a very wide berth, 

 and kept as close to the fence as possible. We passed also in 

 another pasture large herds of horses and cattle. In some parts the 

 ground was covered with a plant bearing a flower rather like that of 

 a white netde, pretty, but, they told me, of little use as food for the 

 cattle. Everywhere the wild flowers were very beautiful and abundant, 

 and there were many sorts that I did not know at all. We also 

 passed large fields of wheat, oats, and barley, and saw numbers of 

 Great Bustard, but could not get within gunshot. We took one nest 

 containing two eggs of the Great Bustard, and one nest of Calandra 

 Lark, but saw no sign of the Lesser Bustard. After walking about 

 three hours, we returned to the launch, and visited an island where 

 the Night Heron {Nycticorax griseus) usually breeds. The island was 

 surrounded by a dense fringe of reed lo to 20 ft. high, and studded 

 over with large white poplar trees. Brambles were everywhere in 

 dense profusion, and we got well scratched and torn as we pushed 

 our way through. We saw several last year's nests of the Night 

 Heron, but not one tenanted, and a Black Kite's {Milvus migrans) 

 nest which we also examined was empty. Not finding anything in 

 the way of eggs, we steamed off some distance along the river, and 

 went ashore to prospect. The country was flat and covered with 

 dense grass and a sort of small purple flowering clover, and abundance 

 of wild flowers of various sorts; and there were large herds of horned 

 cattle and horses. At one place the bulls followed us, and showed 

 signs of attacking us, but a dog we had with us effected a diversion, 

 and we beat a hasty retreat. We saw numbers of Pratincoles, 

 Calandra and Short-toed Larks, and several Stone Curlew, but 

 found no Pratincoles' eggs, though we got one nest of the Calandra 

 Lark. On our way back to the launch we found our two men with 

 the horses camped, and preparing their supper. They had shot a 

 hen Bustard and taken her eggs, which they gave us, and which we 

 found very hard set, and had difticulty in blowing them, which we 

 did before turning in for the night. Hitherto the weather had been 



Jan. 1890. 



