226 Unexplored Spain 
ing point of these, there fell within view three human habitations 
—three, in a vista of thirty miles—two tall castles perched in 
strong places, the third apparently a considerable farm. The 
landscape is often lovely enough, park-like, with infinite sites for 
country halls; yet all, all seems abandoned by man and beast. 
The few wild creatures observed included common and azure 
magpies, hoopoes, and bee-eaters, rollers, doves, kestrels, with a 
sprinkling of partridge and an occasional hare. 
A landowner in this province (Badajoz) endeavoured to preserve 
the game on his estate. At first all went well. As their enemies 
decreased, partridge rapidly multiplied. But thereupon occurred 
an influx of extraneous vermin (foxes and wild-cats) from adjacent 
wilds, and Nature restored her former exiguous balance of life. 
ROLLER (Coracias garrula) 
The scene changes. For the next twenty miles there is not a 
tree or a bush, hardly a living thing on those dreary levels save 
larks and bustards. The hungry earth shows brown and naked 
through its scanty herbage, stript by devouring locusts. 
Travelling by rail the abandonment seems yet more striking, 
since thus we cover more ground. True, along the line cluster 
some slight attempts at cultivation elsewhere absent; but these 
amount to nothing—a few patches of starveling oats, six to eighteen 
inches high, with scarce a score of blades to the yard! ‘Two men 
are reaping with sickles. Hach has his donkey tethered hard by, 
and at nightfall will ride to his distant village, a league away 
maybe, hidden in some unnoticed hollow. Scarce a village have 
we seen. 
The monotony wearies. The abject barrenness of Estremadura, 
its lifelessness, is actually worse, more pronounced and depressing, 
than we had anticipated. Now the far horizon on the north 
