The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-02-06
A RAMBLE In SPAIN.
ATTRACTIONS FOR THE NATURALIST
AND SPORTSMAN.
Birds Of the Plains-The Spanish Bull
Regions of the Vine and of Corn
Mountain scenery-spanish
Serrano.
TPall Mall Gazette.1

AS John hooker SAID OF spain, "Iod mas
most Of the land in His own holding;" con-
sequently one there enjoys the spectacle of
a wild and beautiful country in its most
perfect pristine condition, exactly as turned
out by nature, not yet disfgured or sim
proved" by the hand of man, and practically
unchanged since the days Of thas sNce-s, and,
in tact. Tor as6s osiore them. Every day
one sees many Of those forms Of bird and
animal life which in our crowded islands
have long ceased to exist, and only remain
to the naturalists of to-day in the form OF
bad pictures in books or worse specimens in
museums. Among the rolling corn lands
the great bustard roams in plenty. Troops
of fifty or sixty of this noble game bird, the
largest Of that class, may be seen together,
their great fawn-colored bodies and
long necks resembling herd Of
deer rather than birds. Then there are
the lesser bustards, and on every side. ro-
sounds the triple note Of the quail On the
open plains before mentioned the royal kite
and the buzzard-both these, like the bus
tard, about extinct at home-are ever in
sight gracefully circling over the brushwood
with a keen eye for an outlying rabbit or
one of the large and beautifully colored liz
ards which abound therein.
But for the particular behoof OF the rep
tile world nature has designed and commits
stoned special class Of armed cruiser, the
@Colebrero" or snake-eater, as the Span
iards call him, which Is often deserted busily
employed at his vocation. Then those dark
brown fellows with creamy heads lowering
over a marshy hollow, their motionless
wings set at a sharp angle, are moor buz-
yards, while the long-winged kind, which
look like gigantic swallows are their cousins,
the ash-colored harrier, the most Industrious
and hardworking creature Of his kind. or
small birds, there is an infinite variety,
many clad in the brightest hues, which har-
monize admirably with the sunny scene.
Some of these, such as the bee eaters, tho
blue jay, and the golden oriole almost rival
in brilliancy the gaudy denizens of the
tropics Not only are their plumages most
vivid in color, but they possess glossy re-
Elections, which in the bright southern sun
sparkle like jewsls Every now and then a
covey of the large Spanish partridge rise
with startling suddenness; their numbers are
surprising when one considers the unceasing
persecution they undergo from the native
1cazadores" and the quantity Of birds Of
prey, these latter forming a characteristic
feature in the Spanish landscape.
Besides birds, these broad, undulating
plains and prairie lands are the native home
Of the wild-bred Spanish bull Here he
roams at large from his birth till the day he
receives his death thrust at the hand Of the
matador. A formidable beast he is, perhaps
the only one inclined TO dispute the dominion
of man. The wild-bred Spanish bull Is
ready to assume the offensive, and provoke
a combat In the open He stands his ground,
resenting intrusion on his domains with a
II, - "a ri,
the ground and throwing up clouds Of dust
with his fore feet
Beyond the fertile but externally some-
what monotonous regions of the vine and of
corn, the Spanish horizon is usually bounded
by the t1uish loom of a distant mountain
range But before this can be reached
very different region must be traversed.
The sierras are usually encircled by a broad
zone, of low, broken hills and undulating
plateaux, beautifully clothed in struggling
natural woods. Luxuriant groves OF oaks,
chestnuts, and cork trees occupy the ridges,
while the valleys are filled with dense masses
of arbutus lentiscus wild olive, some kind
of laurel, cistus, and other shrubs Here
and there whole acres glow with the brilliant
flowers Of the rhododendron. and the crimson
peony adorns the most arid places In cer-
tain districts, as one carefully picks ones
way, riding through brushwood as high as
ones shoulder, now and then red deer
starts from the thicket almost at ones feet.
Huge black snakes uncoil from their basks
on q sunny knoll, and glide rapidly GU
of sight; then a couple of badgers
hustle away through the scrub,
or a broad-winged kite slips noiseleSsly from
her nest on pine. Overhead resounds the
short, loud bark Of tho imperial eagle, or
perhaps one Of these magnificent birds may
be perched in massive outline on the topmost
limb Of lofty oak, his white epaulets plainly
visible in sharp contrast to the glossy black
plumage
Probably for typical mountain scenery
the Pyrenees and the hill region of Gellicia
and the Austrias are the finest in the penin-
sula. But the great sierras of the south have
q character of their own which is not want
ing either in beauty or grandeur. The vast
piles of limestone, of which they are largely
composed, are bianched by ages of exposure
till they shine in the sunshine like white
marble, relieved AMI var:egatei by the dark
green OF the brushwood, which grows thick
wherever among the rocks 1t can find soil for
its roots Naturally these rugged sierras
are but i'll adapted for cultivation
Here and there the mountaineers
nave WFeSteu lue sbOuy ue-
civilities little patch of corn land. In this
the hillmen compare fayorably with the
more listless dwellers Of the plains A
keener sense of the struggle for existence no
doubt develops latent energies; but these
sometimes appear to increase in proportion
to the greater remoteness from the baneful
influence Of the priesthood. The staple in
dustry of the sierras, however, is the breed
ing Of goats Ubiquitously audible Is the
not unmusical tinkle Of the little bell which
each goat carries on its neck, sound char
acteristic of the widest and most remote
glens of the mountains Last thing at dusk,
first thing at dawn, resounds that little tinkle
round ones camp. The personal appearance
of the Spanish serrano is formidable. As
he suddenly appeared on the scene leather
clad, shaggy, and bronzed to a copper color,
with q huge knife stuck in his belt and his
long single barrel slung behind his saddle,
he looks the picture Of a daredevil desper-
ado But despite his appearance our friend
is quite harmless; nay, hospitable and help
full