334 H gadow, 



Soreoc araneus. Shrew. „Mucarana" i. e. Mus araneus. ' 



Common in Galicia and in the Vierzo. 



# 



Canis vulpes. Fox. „Rapozo" r „Zorro". 



Common everywhere, e. g. Ponferrada, Burbia, Becerrea, Santiago. 



While there is no difficulty in deriving the name „rapozo" from 

 the latin rapere, to rob, „zorro" and „zorra u (old Spanish „zurra"), 

 has led to a most amusing explanation. There is a verb zurrar 

 or surrar, which means to cat or to scrape off the hair and is 

 possibly a contracted form of subradere. The unfortunate fox is now 

 supposed to have received its name „zorro 4 ' from this verb surrar 

 „because the fox is of such a hot nature or composition that at certain 

 times in summer he sheds all his hair" ! The reasonable explanation 

 is given in the Basque word „zurra" which actually means astute 

 or sly. 



Canis lupus. Wolf. „Lobo". 



Everywhere in the mountains, although often not seen or heard 

 of for months. In the winter wolves are more frequently met with; 

 when driven by hunger, they make raids into the more inhabited 

 districts. During our stay at Burbia wolves killed a calf on the moun- 

 tain pastures, and one evening we met a wolf on the barren plateau 

 making his way towards a sheep fold in one of the Valleys. Sheep 

 and goats are never left out during the night, but are either driven 

 home into the villages or into pens and folds, which in the Sierra de 

 Picos are generally constructed of stone slabs. The enormous herds 

 on the Serra d'Estrella in Portugal are not so regularly hurdled in, 

 but are protected by men and colossal wolf dogs especially trained. 



At Burbia I was told the following story. In the month of Ja- 

 nuary, when the mountains were deeply covered with snow, a man 

 who was out in the woods, saw to his surprise a roedeer rush up to 

 him and seek shelter between his legs. The poor creature was hotly 

 pursued by a wolf. The man, who was a great sportsman, first killed 

 the roe and then he shot the wolf, having thus managed to make 

 meat and to kill a dangerous wild beast a u n g o 1 p e (at one stroke). 

 Hazer carne (to make meat), in piain Engiish to butcher, is a 

 common expression among these semi-savages for shooting game. 

 Wolf stories are plentiful. 



