Wild-Geese in Spain 123 
which marshmen rely) seems to indicate a point where intellect 
and instinct touch; or perhaps rather a survival of the latter 
quality which, in modern races, has become obsolete through 
disuse. Among savage races that faculty of instinct is markedly 
prominent, indeed the master-force ; but there it has been acquired 
(or retained) at the cost of intellect, which is not the case with 
our Spanish friends—they possess both qualities. But place the 
best intellects of Madrid, or Paris, or London in such conditions 
—in darkness, or fog, or in viewless forest—and not one could 
hold a straight course for half-a-mile. Within ten minutes each 
man would be lost, devoid of all sense of direction. That is 
part of the price of the higher civilisation—the loss of a faculty 
which need not clash with any other. Of course where people 
live with a telephone at their ear, with electric trams and 
“tubes” close at hand, where a whistle will summon an attendant 
hansom and two a taxi-meter—or, as Punch suggested, three 
may bring down an airship—well, in such case, those modern 
“advantages” may be held to outweigh the loss of a primitive 
natural faculty. 
Hardly had a tardy light begun to strengthen to the dawn 
than the soft, soliloquising ‘‘ Gagga, gagga, gagga,” with alterna- 
tively the raucous “ Honk-honk,” resounded afar through the 
gloom. From seven o’clock onwards geese were flying close 
around—so near that the rustling of strong wings sounded almost 
within arm’s-length; but that opaque fog held unbroken and 
nothing could be seen. Long before eight I resolved to quit and 
leave the fowl undisturbed for another morning rather than 
open fire at so late an hour. Having a compass, I steered a 
good line to the point where the horses awaited me, a mile away. 
The following morning again broke foggy, though not quite 
so thick ; still I had only five geese at eight o’clock, when three 
packs coming well in, in rapid succession, afforded three gratify- 
ing doubles. Total, eleven geese. 
Leaving the geese a few mornings’ peace, on February 5 
the authors together occupied that hole at dawn. It proved 
a brilliant morning with a fine show of geese. As each pack 
came in, we took it in turns to give the word whether to fire 
or not. In the negative case, our eyes sank gently below the 
surface of the earth, and crouching down we heard the rush of 
wind-splitting pinions pass over and behind—probably to offer 
