. Pictures of bird life : on woodland meadow, mountain and marsh . here is, I nevev saw one : evenin the large towns the streets are bad enough. There is noAvheeled traffic possible from place to place. E\-erything iscarried by pack-mule, or borrico, strings of donkeys beingoften met with in the most out-of-the-way places, laden withgoods ; and all travelling is done on horseback. Our progress, as we plodded along, was sometimes amidthe famihar cries of Lapwings and Redshanks, mingled withthose of stranger birds. A\^e now passed for the first timenumbers of Stilts wading in the shallow water.
. Pictures of bird life : on woodland meadow, mountain and marsh . here is, I nevev saw one : evenin the large towns the streets are bad enough. There is noAvheeled traffic possible from place to place. E\-erything iscarried by pack-mule, or borrico, strings of donkeys beingoften met with in the most out-of-the-way places, laden withgoods ; and all travelling is done on horseback. Our progress, as we plodded along, was sometimes amidthe famihar cries of Lapwings and Redshanks, mingled withthose of stranger birds. A\^e now passed for the first timenumbers of Stilts wading in the shallow water. They allowedus to ride within a few yards, and when they Hew their extra-ordinary long red legs were stretched out straight flew round, looking on the wing like hugeSwallows. Eagles and Kites soared o\er the pine- and cork-trees, and in the more marshy spots we were accompaniedby Black and AMiiskered Terns. Around every group ofcattle and half-wild horses, feeding on the succulent water-plants, and often perched on their backs, were numbers of. 298 Pictures of Bird Life the pretty Buff-backed Herons. They feed on ticks andother insect parasites, from which their Spanish name isderived— Ag-arrapatosos (Tick-eaters). Besides tliese, wesaw plenty of Storks, Ibises, I^ittle Egrets, and PurpleHerons. For the last hour or so of our journey we had seenin front of us o^•er tlie marsh a large white house, sur-rounded by a few trees. This proved to be our house, like all Spanish houses, is built in a square,enclosing a large open space, or patio. The entrance wasa large arched doorway, high enough and wide enough,when the thick and massive double doors, studded withiron bolts, are tluown })ack, to allow three mounted mento ride in abreast without stooping. A camp-bed was soonunpacked from the long-suffering mule, and rigged up inan upper room, and the baggage carried up, and presently ahot meal and a wash made things seem comfortable. The house is i
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirdspi, bookyear1903
