AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 341 



ledge is requisite on the part of the drivers, and a 

 large element of uncertainty and what we call chance, 

 render this manner of shooting real sport in my 

 estimation, — the generally beautiful weather, the 

 variety of birds to be observed, and the fact that 

 many parts of the country are still virtually much as 

 God made them, adding very greatly to the delights 

 of a day among the Great Bustards in Andalucia. 

 The peculiarly balmy but exhilarating air, which, 

 come irom whatever quarter of the compass it may, 

 has blown for miles over wastes of rosemary, gum 

 cistus, and thyme, or through pine-woods and orange- 

 groves, possesses an indescribable charm, and renders 

 existence in itself more enjoyable than in any other 

 part of the world with which I am acquainted. 



With these surroundings, I will beg my courteous 

 reader to accompany myself and a friend, in imagina- 

 tion, in the first instance, from Seville by carriage to 

 a certain wine-shop at some five miles' distance 

 from that city, on the road to Badajoz, where we 

 have appointed our drivers to meet us with a horse 

 or two from the village of Algaba before mentioned ; 

 crossing the river by the bridge of Triana and 

 threading the main street of that gipsy-haunted 

 suburb, we leave the ruins of Italica to our left and 

 the tall tower of Santi Ponce with its wheeling 

 Kestrels to our right, and come in sight of the 

 village and old Moorish watch-tower of Algaba, 

 on the river-bank and about two miles off to our 

 right front. Of birds we have observed Sparrows in 

 abundance, several Crested Larks dusting themselves 

 on the road or floating on in front of us with a flute- 

 like whistle, a few Stone-Chats, and possibly Black 

 Redstarts, perched about the spikes of the aloes 

 which fringe the road here and there, Goldfinches 



