Identifier: wildspainrecords00chaprich (find matches)
Title: Wild Spain ... records of sport with rifle, rod, and gun, natural history and exploration
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Abel, 1851-1929 Buck, Walter John
Subjects: Hunting -- Spain Game and game-birds -- Spain
Publisher: London, Gurney and Jackson
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
se owner of each is a thousand-fold harder.Nests and eggs of all being closely alike, an unidentifiedclutch is worthless ; but the man who can work this outknee-deep amidst mud and stagnant water, under a broil-ing sun, has patience that nothing can withstand, norany obstacle resist. During May a clamorous element is added to the bird-life of these lagoons by the nesting-colonies of Terns,which hover round the intruder, filling the air with theirharsh vociferations. Santolalla is a stronghold of theWhiskered and Black Terns (H. Jn/hrida and H. fissijyes)whose nests are built on the water-lilies and floating water-weeds. There are other large colonies in the open marisma,where the Gull-billed and the Lesser Terns also nest, theformer in some numbers. T 274 WILD SPAIN. June in Spain is a month of intense heat—heat of thatfiery high-dried sort that scorches as an open furnace. InJune, as a Spanish proverb says— Nothing but a dog oran Enghshman ventures out of doors; nor from an orni-
Text Appearing After Image:
MARSH HARRIER—VERY OLD MALE. thological point of view is there much inducement to do so.The teeming variet) of bird-hfe which characterizes Apriland May is now conspicuously absent. Migration is sus- BIRD-LIFE OF THE SPANISH SPRING-TIME. 275 pended, and there is no movement of passage-birds.There is no longer the accustomed number of large hawkshunting the campiua, and even those l)irds which remainseem to keep out of sight, sheltering from the blazingheat. Perhaps the most interesting birds at this season are thenewlj-tledged young of the Eaptores. The joung ImperialEagles are of a beautiful tawny colour, and during themid-day heat frequent the trees where they were hatched.We also obtained young Kites in the same way—veryhandsome birds, much ruddier than the old ones in April.The young of M. migrans, on the other hand, are lesspleasing than their parents, being, in fact, a pale, ratherwashed-out reproduction of them. Towards the end ofthe month (June) the young Montagus Harriers

Note About Images