. Wild Spain ... records of sport with rifle, rod, and gun, natural history and exploration . nd we have heardtheir note up to the end of Ma^^ but the majority passon northwards at once. The Azure-winged Magpie, above referred lo, is verylocal in the south. It nests not far from Jerez, and insome numbers near Coria del Eio, but is much moreabundant in the wooded vegas of Cordova, and still moreso in Estremadura and Castile, actualh* swarming nearTalavera de la Keyna, at Aranjuez, etc. Their nests, * In Egypt the Grey-backed Crow {Corvus comix) is almost ex-clusively the Cuckoos dupe ; in Alger
. Wild Spain ... records of sport with rifle, rod, and gun, natural history and exploration . nd we have heardtheir note up to the end of Ma^^ but the majority passon northwards at once. The Azure-winged Magpie, above referred lo, is verylocal in the south. It nests not far from Jerez, and insome numbers near Coria del Eio, but is much moreabundant in the wooded vegas of Cordova, and still moreso in Estremadura and Castile, actualh* swarming nearTalavera de la Keyna, at Aranjuez, etc. Their nests, * In Egypt the Grey-backed Crow {Corvus comix) is almost ex-clusively the Cuckoos dupe ; in Algeria, Pica mauriianica. S 258 WILD SPAIN. placed on bushes rather than trees, resemble a Jays,slightly built of sticks exteriorly, and completed with greenmoss, dry grass, etc, and contain five or six eggs. Half-a-dozen nests may often be found within a hundred active, sprightly bird, exclusively confined to theSpanish Peninsula. The Jay, though common in the mountain-forests, andin Portugal, is not seen on the South-Spanish plains;but the Magpie absolutely swarms. During lunch one. AZURE-WINGED MAGPIES. day I counted upwards of seventy in sight at a time,and from one spot. A rushy glade before us was dottedall over with them; their pied breasts surmounted nearlyevery bush. Further away, I also counted during thehalf-hours halt (without including such small fry asKestrels, etc.) no less than twenty-one large birds of pre}—several Kites of both kinds, a soaring Buzzard or two,Marsh- and JNIontagus Harriers, and at least a pair ofeagles. BIRD-LIFE OF THE SPANISH SPRING-TIIME. 259 Such a spectacle would probably break the heart of anorthodox British gamekeeper; to preserve any fair headof game in presence of such an array of vermin —bothpowerful raptores and cunning egg-thieves—he wouldcertainly assert to be impossible. So, in England, itprobably would be; yet here our game-books record bagsvarying from 150 to BOO partridge, besides other game, ina day, and totals of
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