, 1885-01-28
A RAMBLE In SPAIN.
ATTRACTIONS FOR THE NATURALIST
AND SPORTSMAN.
BIrds of the f1ains-Ihe spanish Bun-
Regions Of The vins and of Corn
Mountain seenery-spani-h


most OF the land IN His own holding con-
nequenty ono 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 aim-
proved by the hand Of man, ind practically
unchanged since tho days Of the Moors. and,
In fact, for ages before than. Every day
ono sees many Of those forms OF bird and
animal life which IN our crowded Islands
have long ceased 70 exist, and only remain
10 the naturaIists OF to-day In tho form Of
bad pictures In books or worso specimens IN
s1useums Among tho rolling corn lands
tho Kreat hustard roams In plenty. Troops
OF fifty OF sixty Of this noble game bird, the
largest OF hat cinz, may b seen together,
their great fawn-colorod bodies and
long necks resembling a herd OF
deer rather than birds Then there arc
the lesser bustards, and on every side re-
sounds the triple note OF tho 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 tho large and beautifully coiored liz
ards which abound therein
But for tho particular behoofo Of the rep
tile world nature has designed and commits
A8AAL AIENAAA 10 u 1A4ANNIr NA|
-Colebroro,n or sna~ke-eater, a. tho Spdn-
iards call him, which Is often deserted busly
employed at his vocation Then those dark
brown fellows with creamy heads lowering
over a marshy hollow, their motionioss
wingn vet at n sharp angle, are moor bur
cards, while the iong-winged hind, which
look Xix gigantic swallows are their cousins,
the ash-colored barrier, the most industrious
and Woodworking creature Of his kind Or
small birds, thero Is an infinite variety.
many clad In tho brightest hues, which har-
monte admirably with the sunny scene.
Some Of those, such as the bee- enters, the
blue jay, and the golden oriole almost rival
In brilliancy the gnudy denizons Of the
tropics Not only are their plumages most
vivid In color, but they possess glossy TO
Elections. which In the bright southern sun
sparkle like jowsls. Every now and then a
covoy Of the large Spanish partridge rise
with startling suddenness. their number are
surprising when one considers the unceasing
persecution they undergo from tho native
"cazadorcs' and the quantity Of birds Of
prey, these latter forming n characteristic
feature In the Spanish landscape.
Besides birds, these broad, undulatinR
plains and prairie lands are tho native home
Of tho wild-bred Spanish bull Here he
roams at large from his birth TIL tho 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. Tho w1d-bred Spanish bull Is
ready to assume the offensive, and provoke
a combat IN the open He stands bis ground,
resanting intrusion on his domains with a
low, deep roar Of defiance, viciously paving
the ground and throwing up clouds Of dust
with his fora feet
beyond tho fertile but externally some
what monotonous regions OF the vine ard OF
curn, the Spanish horizon Is usually bounded
by tho hiuish loom OF a distant mountain
range. But before this can DO reached a
very different region must be traversed.
The slerrns are usually encircled by n broad
zone, OF low, broken hills and undulatlne
plateaux, beautifully clothed In struggling
natural woods Luxurinnt groves OF onks,
chestnuts, and cork trees occupy tho ridges,
while the valleys are filled with dense massas
OF arbutus, lcntiscus, wild olive, some kind
OF laurel, cistus, and other shrubs. Hero
and there whole acres glow with the brilliant
howers OF the rhododendron, and the crimson
poony adorn1 the most arid places. In GER
tain districts, as one carefully picks mes
way, riding through brushwood as high as
ones shoulder, now and then a rcd deer
starts from tho thicket almost at ones feet
Huge black snakes uncofl from their basks
on o sunny knoll, and glide rapidly out
OF sight. then a couple OF badgers
hustle away through the scrub.
or a broad-winged kite slips noiselessly from
her most on q pine. Overhead resounds the
short, loud bark OF tho imperial eagle. or
perhaps ono Of these magnificent birds may
be perched In massive outline on the topmost
limb OF a lofty oak, his white e~paulets plainly
visible in sharp contrast to the glossy black
plumage.
Probably for typical mountain scenery
the Pyrenees and the hill region OF Gallicia
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. Tho vast
piles OF limestone, Of which they are largely
composed. arc blanched by ages Of exposure
TIL they shine In tho sunshine like white
marble, relieved n v~ariegnted by the dark
green OF the ~brushwood, which grows thick
wherever among the rocks IL can find soil for
It's rootA Naturally these rugged sierras
are but III adapted for cultivation.
Herr and there the mountaineers
have wrested from the stony de-
clviities a little patch Of corn land. In this
the hillmen compare fnvorably with tho
more lstlesa jewellers OF the plains. A
keener aenso OF tho 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 s~ierras, however, Is the breed
ing OF goats. Ubiquitously audible IL the
not unmusicnl tinkle Of the little boil which
each goat carries on its neck. a sound char
acferistic Of the widest and most remote
glens OF the mountains Last thing at dusk,
hist thing a tdawn, resounds that little tinkle
round ono's camp Tho personal appearance
OF the Spanish serrano Is formidable. As
be suddenly appeared on the scene, leather
clad, shaggy, and bronzed to a copper color,
with a huge knife stuck In bis belt and his
long single barrel slung behind his saddle,
he looks the picture Of a daredevil despsr-
ado But despite his appearance our friend
Is quite harmless; nay. hospitable ana help
full