CHARLES WATERTON, ESQ. XXXi 
My uncles had a pleasant country-house at the foot 
of the adjacent mountains, and many were the days 
of rural amusement which I passed at it. The red- 
legged partridges abounded in the environs, and the 
vultures were remarkably large ; whilst goldfinches 
appeared to be much more common than sparrows 
in this country. During the spring, the quails and 
bee-eaters arrived in vast numbers, from the opposite 
coast of Africa. Once when I was rambling on the 
sea shore, a flock of a dozen red flamingoes passed 
nearly within gun-shot of me. 
At my uncles' house, I made the acquaintance of 
an English gentleman who had been staying with 
them for some time. He was travelling in Spain to 
obtain commercial orders, in favour of his firm in 
England ; which was most respectable. He was a 
pleasant, laughing, well-made, dapper, little man ; 
and, as he was full of information, which he had 
collected in the different places through which he 
had passed, I found his conversation very agreeable; 
and we made arrangements to go to Cadiz by land, 
taking Gibraltar in our way. 
It is a well-known fact, that apes are found 
in no part of Europe except in Gibraltar. They 
inhabit the steepest parts of the mountain, and 
always prefer to be sheltered from the wind, when 
it blows hard. I had letters of introduction to the 
Danish consul, Mr. Glynn. As good luck would 
have it, the wind changed to the eastward on the 
very morning on which the consul had arranged 
to show us over the rock of Gibraltar. He said that 
the apes were sure to be on the move, as the change 
