Sierra de Grédos 223 
spipoletta) also reach to the highest summits; the blue thrush 
lower down. 
In the valley of the Tormes and among the pines many 
British species were at home, such as blackbirds and thrushes, 
redstarts, nuthatches, and Dartford warblers; besides the two 
southern wheatears, since found to be but one dimorphic form ! 
THE Riscos DE VILLAREJO 
Three hours later the mule-train overtook us, and we 
pursued the track upwards towards the Riscos de Villarejo till 
darkness obliged us to encamp. The jagged outline ahead, 
marking our destination, looked far away ; we could go no nearer 
to-night, and outspanned on a tiny lawn on the mountain-slope. 
Once more we had left tree and shrub far below, but the dry 
piorno-scrub made fire enough to cook a frugal supper. The 
hunters, with their stew-pots balanced on stones, sat round us in 
a circle. 
Next morning we were alert, as usual, before the dawn—called 
at 4 a.M.—and off again on another terrible climb towards the 
summits. It is no mild trudge through turnips this Ist of 
September, but one more effort to interview in his haunts the 
Spanish mountain-ram. 
At 6000 feet we reached a point beyond which no domestic 
beast can go. Here, leaving our own men to encamp, the upward 
climb with the hunters begins. This day and each of the two 
following were devoted solely to stalking, each of us separately 
with his guide taking a diverging course along two of the lower 
ridges of the sierra. Two female ibex were descried in a position 
which might without difficulty have been stalked. These, how- 
ever, we left in peace; though, as it proved, they were the only 
animals seen before we regained camp, an hour after dark, tired 
out and empty-handed once more. On the fourth day we drove 
this same rock-region, but without success, only two goats, both 
small males, being seen. ‘The entire failure of this venture was a 
disappointment, as ibex were known to frequent these reefs. An 
explanation was suggested that a herd of domestic goats had 
approached too near their exclusive wild congeners, which had 
fled to a neighbouring mountain. That mountain, we arranged, 
should be explored at daylight on the morrow by two of our 
