177 
Lord Lilford on the Ornithology of Spain. 
without, apparently, any present intention of nesting. The 
Great and Blue Titmice, Parus major and P. caruleus, were very 
abundant; and I noticed on this occasion, besides the species 
above mentioned, Hirundo rustica, Sylvia atricapilla , Ruticilla 
phcenicura, Erythacus rubecula , Philomela luscinia , Accentor 
modularis, Turdus iliacus, Turdus musicus, Turdus merula, Sturnus 
unicolor , Alauda cristata, Fringilla ccelebs, Passer domesticus, 
Gallinula chloropus , and Podiceps minor. 
On my return to Madrid I found that a man had brought to 
our hotel a Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus , alive for me: 
this bird was in the barred plumage of the first year, in fact 
precisely similar, to all appearance, to a nestling; but at this 
time of year it was impossible that this should be the case. Its 
owner insisted that it was no relation whatever to the Common 
Cuckoo. I do not remember to have ever before seen a bird of 
this species in this plumage at this time of year, and imagined 
that it assumed the grey adult plumage at the first moult; but 
I find that in Spain the country people all affirm that the red 
Cuckoos are to be seen at all times of the year between April 
and September, and consider them entirely distinct from the 
Common Cuckoo. This perhaps does not go for much ; but I 
mention it as I had never before heard of the idea, and I 
should be glad to know whether any of my readers can throw 
any light on the subject. 
On the next day, April 9th, I was again down early at the 
Casa de Campo, and, on this occasion, found that Manuel de la 
Torre had just returned. I made acquaintance with him, and 
found in him a man very much to my mind, well acquainted 
with all the birds of the country, evidently a keen observer, and 
full of information on local zoology. The chief facts I gathered 
from him were, that the Booted Eagle, Aquila pennata, about 
which I particularly inquired, does not arrive in Spain till the 
end of April, and that the Great Spotted Cuckoo, Oxylophus 
glandarius, was then due, and lays its eggs in the nests of the 
Common Magpie, Pica caudata, very soon after its appearance in 
country. We wandered about the southern boundary of the 
grounds of the Casa de Campo, where I had the pleasure of 
observing for a considerable time the actions of two pairs of the 
N. S.-VOL. II. 
N 
