378 
Lord Lilford on the Ornithology of Spain . 
common Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaus ) which came under 
my notice in Spain. We here saw the first Rollers of the 
season, but did not on this occasion succeed in adding one of 
these birds to our collection. On the following day, however, 
in the Soto, at this same locality, we shot seven beautiful ex¬ 
amples of this species, and also obtained four of the Red¬ 
necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis), and the same number 
of the Lesser Kestrel. We also met with the Garden Warbler 
(,Sylvia hortensis ) in great abundance, besides many other species 
already mentioned, and took a nest with two eggs of the Black 
Kite. 
During the next few days Manuel was obliged to be at Madrid, 
and I was too lame to do much; but I rode about the country, 
and, with the assistance of Agapo, procured several eggs of 
some interest, amongst others those of the Red-necked Nightjar 
and Little Ringed Plover (JEgialitis minor). The mode of 
breeding of the first named exactly resembles that of its con¬ 
gener; the eggs, two in number, are laid on the bare ground, 
without any semblance of a nest. The nests of the Little 
Plover were always close to a road or mule-track, and far from 
any water; the number of eggs is, as might be expected, always 
four. On May 13th we went by a circuitous route over the 
Llanos de la Cabina round to Las Ynfantas, and on our way 
met with the Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis ), 
which I had not previously seen in Castile. It is by no means 
common in this locality. We also here found the Black-headed 
Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala ), which, though very abundant in 
the south of Spain, is apparently rare in these parts. It is a 
remarkable fact that Cyanopica cooki should be quite unknown 
in the neighbourhood of Aranjuez. I could not discover that 
any of the keepers or woodmen were acquainted with it, al¬ 
though it is so plentiful about Madrid, at a distance of about 
twenty miles,—the only reason that I can imagine to account for 
its absence being the want of the evergreen oak, to which it cer¬ 
tainly exhibits a very remarkable partiality. Manuel returned 
from Madrid, bringing several eggs of this Magpie from the 
Casa de Campo, and on this occasion put me up to the art of 
securing some Little Bustards, which consists at this season in 
