On Small-Game Shooting in Spain 329 
mean wasted ammunition and an empty pot—misfortunes both 
in his res angustae dom. We have ourselves, on African veld, 
where dinner depends on the gun, meted out similar measure to 
strings of cackling guinea-fowl without compunction ; but in Spain 
we have never tried the reclamo, nor wish to. 
That the race of redlegs should have survived it all—year in 
and year out—bespeaks a wondrous fecundity, and has inspired 
new-born ideas of “preservation,” which have been initiated in 
Spain with marked success. To this subject we refer later. 
Though we have ourselves (maybe from “insular prejudice ”) 
systematically refused to see the reclamo work his treacherous 
réle, yet many Spanish sportsmen are enthusiastic over the system, 
which they describe as una faena muy interesante, and are as 
proud of their call-birds as we of our setters. The reclamos may 
be of either sex. The cock-partridges become past-masters of the 
art of calling up their wild rivals from afar; and by a softer note 
the wild hen is also lured to her doom—for the dual influences of 
love and war are both called into play. The male hears the defiant 
challenge of battle and, all aflame, hurries by alternative flights 
and runs to seek the unseen challenger. As distance lessens the 
fire of each taunt increases, and, blind with passion, the luckless 
champion dashes on to that fatal opening where he is aligned by 
barrels peeping from the thicket. The female, with more tender 
purpose, also draws near—the seductive love-note entices; but, 
oh! the wooing o’t—a few pellets of lead end that idyll. It is 
then—when either rival or lover, it matters not which, lies low in 
death alongside his cage—that the well-constituted reclamo shows 
his fibre. So overcome with savage joy, the narrow cage will 
scarce contain him as he bursts into exultant peeons of victory. 
On the other hand, sullen disappointment is exhibited by the 
decoy when his exploit has only resulted in a missed shot. 
In the spring the female call-note is more effective than that 
of the male. 
Well-trained reclamos may be worth anything from £2 up to 
£10. Recently a yearly licence of ten shillings per bird has been 
levied. This has either reduced their numbers, or perhaps caused 
them to be kept more secretly. Formerly a cicada in a tiny cage 
and a reclamo in its conical prison were contiguous objects in 
almost every doorway. 
Ground-game is the special favourite of the Spanish cazador. 
