178 Lord Lilford on the Ornithology of Spain. 
aforesaid Spotted Cuckoo. I had before had a passing glimpse 
of this bird in Murcia in 1856, and again in Andalucia in 1864; 
but I fancy, from subsequent observation, that it is much more 
common in Central than in Southern Spain. On the present 
occasion, my attention was at first attracted by a shrill chatter, 
quite unlike the note of any bird with which I was acquainted ; 
and on approaching the spot whence it proceeded, I descried 
four long-tailed birds hopping about an open space some sixty 
yards from me, and occasionally flying up into the surrounding 
trees. As far as I could make out, they were engaged in catch¬ 
ing and devouring grasshoppers, now and then diversifying this 
pursuit by a little love-making and a great deal of altercation. 
Their actions on the ground are very awkward and grotesque; 
but the flight is rather swift and well-sustained, somewhat re¬ 
sembling that of the Common Cuckoo. They were rather shy, 
and, on my showing myself, at once flew off into the high trees, 
where I heard them for a long time pluming one another, and 
keeping up an almost incessant chatter. 
The following day I went down again to the Casa de Campo, 
and persuaded Manuel to accompany me with his gun. We 
again saw the Spotted Cuckoo, but he did not succeed in bagging 
one; he shot a Spanish Magpie, a Hoopoe, a Scops Owl, and 
two specimens of Phyllopneuste bonellii for me, besides which 
we saw, in addition to the species already enumerated, Lanius 
rufus , Alcedo ispida , Turdus viscivorus, and Coccothraustes vul¬ 
garis. In the Madrid market I observed Pintailed Sand- 
Grouse, P ter odes setarius, Woodcocks, Scolopax rusticola , Gol¬ 
den Plovers, Charadi'ius pluvialis , and Stone Curlews, CEdicnemus 
crepitans. 
On my next visit to the Casa de Campo I noticed.a pair of 
Tinnunculus cenchris and Merops apiaster , just arrived from 
their winter quarters. Manuel shot a Great Spotted Cuckoo 
and several other birds for me, including four fine specimens of 
Anthus campestris, which appears to be common in Castile 
during the summer months, and a specimen of Potamodus cettii, 
which is abundant, but, from its habit of frequenting the thickest 
brambles along the watercourses, and its extreme reluctance to 
take wing, very difficult to secure. The Common Cuckoo was 
