DEER-DRIVING IN THE PINE FORESTS. 409 



and others had all but reached the fatal line ere they 

 changed their course. 



One chance, however, I certainly lost by my own fault. 

 A buzzard came sailing along the pine-tops towards 

 me ; I was posted on a small plateau crowning an 

 isolated hillock, and overlooking a sea of dark green 

 pines. Promiscuous shooting is, of course, debarred ; but 

 the batida was nearly finished; I had seen the beaters 

 cross a ridge within a quarter-mile, and determined to 

 have the hawk. Just as the buzzard approached a fair 

 range, I observed that a good stag had ascended my 

 hillock, and for some twenty yards ran in full view. 

 Then he dropped down from sight just before it was 

 possible for me to exchange guns. A downright bungle ! 

 I would fain have hidden my disgrace in silence, but 

 it is a distressing feature of sport on this tell-tale sandy 

 soil, that it is impossible to conceal or to mitigate 

 one's " chambonadas " — call them misfortunes. Nothing 

 moves but leaves behind it an indelible mark, and no 

 mark ever escapes the keen eyes of the forest-guards. 

 "Look here!" exclaims Anillo, "here has passed a 

 good stag — aqiii ha pasado un hum venado ! " why did 

 not his worship fire ? " Why indeed ! 



Some days passed and I began to fear the campaign 

 might close without a change in my luck. Nor were 

 these deep forests particularly interesting ornithologically : 

 at first sight they appeared rather devoid of bird-life — 

 that is in winter : we have often ridden for hours without 

 seeing more than a few ravens or a kite. Among the 

 thick bushy tops of the stone-pines were the hawfinches 

 and crossbills, with a few other species, but these were 

 remarkably shy and difficult of approach. On afternoons 

 when our "drives" were finished before dark, I took the 

 opportunity of trying to obtain some of the forest-haunting 

 birds ; but in this a singular difficulty occurred. In 

 Andalucia the sun gives us an hour or two more of his 

 company than on a winter's day at home. All day long he 

 shines in a blue and cloudless sky ; but when he sets, it is 

 night. Hardly has his rim sunk behind the distant pines 



