Wild-Geese in Spain 115 
asleep on some broad /ucio or other bare open space. That habit, 
however, is subject to modification during the periods of full 
moon, when many geese avail themselves of her brilliant light 
to feed in even greater security than they can enjoy by day. 
Their food consists exclusively of vegetable substances—at first 
of the remnants of the summer's herbage, such as green ribbon- 
grass (canaliza), and other semi-aquatic plants; 
their main sustenance in mid-winter consists of 
the tuber-bearing roots of spear-grass (Cyperus 
longus and C. rotundus) which they dig up 
from the ground. 
When autumn rains are long delayed, their 
voracious armies will already have consumed 
every green thing that remains in the parched 
marismas long before the ‘new water” from 
the heavens shall have furnished new feeding- 
grounds. In such cases the geese are forced 
to depart, and do so—so far as our observation 
goes—in the direction of Morocco; returning 
thence (within a few hours) immediately after 
rain has fallen. Their entry, on this second 
arrival, is invariably from the south and south- 
west—that is, from the sea. 
There are three methods of shooting wild- 
geese in the Spanish marismas which may here 
be specified, to wit :— 
(1) Morning-flight, when the geese habitu- 
ally come to “take sand” at the dawn. See ? 
next chapter. ROOT OF SPEAR- 
(2) “Driving” during the day: (available GRASS 
only in dry years). 
(3) Awaiting their arrival at dusk at their dormideros, or 
sleeping-places, see pp. 97, 98. 
An all-important factor in their pursuit arises from an 
economic necessity with wild-geese constantly to possess, and 
frequently to renew, a store of sand or grit in their gizzards. 
To obtain this they resort every morning to certain sandy spots 
in the marismas (hereinafter described, and which are known as 
vetas); or failing that, when the said vetas are submerged, to 
the sand-dunes outside. Although great numbers of geese resort 
