THE BIG GAME OF SPAIN 
The Marquis writes: “ His Majesty having accepted with enthusiasm 
the proffered guardianship of the Spanish wild goats, persevered in his 
determination to preserve and restore their threatened race. During the 
six subsequent years the Royal Treasury bore all expense both of protection 
and of ‘ trial drives,’ carried out solely to ascertain their numbers and the 
increase in the game. 
“ After these six years of Jubilee, His Majesty directed his Montero Mayor * 
to pay a visit of inspection. This the writer, accompanied by the Marquis 
de Villaviciosa de Asturias (who first initiated the scheme), carried out 
early in July, 1910, the details being transcribed from his diary: 
“July 1.— Leaving Madrid by automobile at 5.30, we lunched at 
Talavera, and at dusk encamped at Majada Somera, altitude 7,000 ft. 
Snow lay on all sides, and the temperature by night fell to 5 deg. 
below zero. 
“July 2. — Called at dawn, after a long march over snowfields, we 
reached by noon the Altos de Morez6n, on the highest ridges of 
Gredos. Hence an ibex female was espied, about 600 yards distant, in 
the depths of a gorge. It was lying in the sun, and so closely did its 
colours harmonize with the rocks that it took me half an hour to 
distinguish with the spyglass. The guards assured me that this 
solitary female was sure to be acting as sentry to other ibex in a 
broken ravine beyond, and that presently proved to be the case. 
“ Since the ibex is equally gifted both with sight and scent, it was 
decided that I, with the keepers, should make a long backward detour. 
Two and a half hours it took us to gain the desired point, having 
frequently to use our belts (in default of ropes) to descend vertical 
rock-walls and abysses. And, after all this labour, the ibex had gone ! 
“Presently the guard detected three more, near the base of some 
towering crags. To reach these, we removed our boots and crossed a 
huge sloping snowfield. Once more the ibex had gone! We saw, 
however, others at various points beyond: but unluckily there were 
also several in the gorge beneath, which prevented an attempt to 
approach from that side. 
“During our retirement from this point we observed a band of ten, 
all big rams, but one of them colossal. He was of a bright cinnamon 
colour ( color de canela ), his legs covered with long black hair, giving 
* Montero Mayors Master of the Hunt — by analogy, perhaps, 11 Master of the Buckhounds ” might be the nearest 
English equivalent. 
DDD 
385 
