Chapter I: Preface

In "WILD SPAIN" we endeavour to describe a little-known land from a point of view hitherto almost unoccupied--that of the sportsman-naturalist. Many books have been written on Spain--some very good ones: but recent volumes chiefly confine themselves to the history, antiquities, architecture, &c., of the country, with their authors' impressions of the Spanish people. Such subjects find no place--save incidentally--in the present work, which systematically avoids the beaten track and essays to depict some of the unknown and more remote regions.

During more than twenty years the authors have undertaken sporting expeditions into various parts of Spain--chiefly in Andalucia, but including, at one time or another, nearly all the western provinces from the Mediterranean to Biscay. A love of wild sport has been, perhaps, the leading motive; but the study of natural history has hardly been of secondary importance. In pursuit of these twin objects we have spared neither time nor trouble, spending weeks--sometimes months--at a time, in the sierras and wildernesses of Spain, bivouacing wherever night overtook us, or the chances of sport might dictate, and camping-out on the glorious snow-clad cordilleras.

Our subjects are the wild-life and _feræ naturæ_ of the Peninsula--including in the latter expression, by a slight stretch of the term, the brigand and the gypsy, with remarks on agriculture as cognate and supplementary. As far as convenient, the sequence of chapters follows the change of the seasons, commencing with spring-time. Hence the earlier part of the book is more concerned with natural history--though the pursuit of ibex and bustard may be followed in spring; while the latter half is more exclusively devoted to sport.

Long residence in Spain has afforded opportunities which are not available to the casual traveller. Especially is this the case with sport, of which we have, at times, enjoyed some of the best that Spain affords. But it should be remarked that many of the shooting campaigns herein described have been on private and preserved grounds; and, while we naturally select the more fortunate records, we pass over in silence many a blank day and fruitless effort. Nearly all ground on which _large_ game is found, is preserved, with the exception of remote parts of the sierras, where wild pig and roe may be shot, and those higher mountain-ranges which form the home of ibex and chamois; moreover, while indicating in general terms the distribution of the various games and other animals, we have in many instances avoided naming precise localities.

In describing a foreign land, it is impossible entirely to avoid the use of foreign terms for which, in many cases, no precise equivalents exist in English: but, to minimize this drawback, we append a glossary of all Spanish words used herein. Conversely, lest Spanish readers should misinterpret the title of this book, we have added a translation in the terms ESPAÑA AGRESTE.

The illustrations consist of reproductions, either from photographs or from rough sketches in pen-and-ink and water-colours by the authors, whose only merit lies in their essaying to represent in their native haunts some of the least-known birds and beasts of Europe, several of which, it is probable, have never before been drawn from the life. If some of these sketches are not as satisfactory as we could have wished, the difficulties under which they were produced may serve as some excuse. At the last moment we have had some of them "translated" in London by Messrs. C. M. Sheldon and A. T. Elwes, and are also indebted to Miss M. E. Crawhall for several sepia-drawings made by her in Spain.

It had been our intention to append a list of the birds of Spain, with their Spanish names and short notes on each species; but this we find would exceed our limits, and moreover the blanks and "missing links" still remain so numerous that we have abandoned--or at least deferred--that part of our programme. This may explain a certain want of continuity or coherence, in an ornithological sense.

We are indebted to Lord Lilford and to Messrs. J. C. Forster and Ralph W. Bankes for several valuable notes and assistance, also to Admiral Sir M. Culme-Seymour for photographs taken in "Wild Spain"; while we cannot sufficiently express our gratitude to Mr. Howard Saunders, who has in the kindest manner gone through the proof-sheets, and whose long experience and intimate knowledge of Spain have been most generously placed within our reach. For any serious mistakes which may remain, the authors must be solely responsible.

_December 31st, 1892._

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
PAGE

AN UNKNOWN CORNER OF EUROPE.

ANDALUCIA AND HER MOUNTAIN-BARRIERS.

i. Introductory 1

ii. Life in the Sierras 13

iii. A night at a _Posada_ 19

CHAPTER II.

A BOAR-HUNT IN THE SIERRA 23

CHAPTER III.

THE GREAT BUSTARD 33

CHAPTER IV.

BIG DAYS WITH BUSTARD.

i. Jedilla 46

ii. Santo Domingo--an Idyl 50

CHAPTER V.

TAUROMACHIA.

THE FIGHTING BULL OF SPAIN;

Notes on his history: his breeds and rearing: and his life up to the _encierro_--_i.e._, the eve of his death 54

CHAPTER VI.

THE BÆTICAN WILDERNESS.

Spring-notes of bird-life, natural history and exploration in the marisma

Part i.--April 70

CHAPTER VII.

THE BÆTICAN WILDERNESS (_continued_).

Part ii.--May 83

CHAPTER VIII.

WILD CAMELS IN EUROPE 94

CHAPTER IX.

AMONG THE FLAMINGOES.

Notes on their haunts and habits, and the discovery of their nesting-places 102

CHAPTER X.

BRIGANDAGE IN SPAIN.

SKETCHES OF TWO ROBBER-TYPES.

i. Vizco el Borje 116

ii. Agua Dulce 124

CHAPTER XI.

THE SPANISH IBEX.

Notes on its natural history, haunts, habits and distribution 128

CHAPTER XII.

IBEX-SHOOTING IN SPAIN.

i. Sierra de Gredos (Old Castile) 140

ii. Riscos de Valderejo 150

CHAPTER XIII.

IBEX-SHOOTING IN SPAIN (_continued_).

iii. Sierra Bermeja (Mediterranean) 157

iv. Nevada and the Alpujarras. Ten days in a snow-cave 166

CHAPTER XIV.

TROUT AND TROUTING IN SPAIN.

i. Castile, etc. 173

ii. Santandér 179

CHAPTER XV.

TROUTING IN THE ASTURIAS AND IN LEON 183

CHAPTER XVI.

EXPERIENCES WITH EAGLES.

i. Forest and plain 188

CHAPTER XVII.

FURTHER EXPERIENCES WITH EAGLES AND VULTURES.

ii. Chiefly relating to the Sierra 205

CHAPTER XVIII.

ON SPANISH AGRICULTURE.

i. Cereals, green crops, etc. 220

CHAPTER XIX.

ON SPANISH AGRICULTURE (_continued_).

ii. The olive 231

iii. Horse-breeding and live stock 233

iv. Supplement 236

CHAPTER XX.

BIRD-LIFE OF THE SPANISH SPRING-TIME.

i. The _pinales_, or pine-region 238

CHAPTER XXI.

BIRD-LIFE OF THE SPANISH SPRING-TIME (_continued_).

ii. The cistus-plains and prairies 250

CHAPTER XXII.

BIRD-LIFE OF THE SPANISH SPRING-TIME (_continued_).

iii. By lake and lagoon 266

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE SPANISH GYPSY.

Notes on the history of the "Gitanos" 277

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE SPANISH GYPSY OF TO-DAY 287

CHAPTER XXV.

IN SEARCH OF THE LÄMMERGEYER.

A winter ride in the Sierras 293

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE HOME OF THE LÄMMERGEYER 307

CHAPTER XXVII.

RAMON AND THE TWO BIG RAMS.

An incident of Ibex-stalking 316

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE IBEX-HUNTER'S BETROTHAL 320

CHAPTER XXIX.

ON VITICULTURE IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL 325

CHAPTER XXX.

SOME FURTHER NOTES ON THE GREAT BUSTARD.

His natural history and habits 338

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE LITTLE BUSTARD 343

CHAPTER XXXII.

A WINTER CAMPAIGN IN DOÑANA 348

CHAPTER XXXIII.

WILDFOWLING IN THE WILDERNESS.

i. A wet winter 371

CHAPTER XXXIV.

WILDFOWLING IN THE WILDERNESS (_continued_).

ii. A dry season (flight-shooting) 384

iii. An Arctic winter 392

CHAPTER XXXV.

THE STANCHION-GUN IN SPAIN 395

CHAPTER XXXVI.

DEER-DRIVING IN THE PINE-FORESTS.

My first stag 405

CHAPTER XXXVII.

WINTER IN THE MARSHES.

i. Snipe-shooting 417

ii. Cranes, storks, and bitterns 420

iii. Miscellaneous marsh-birds 424

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

DEER-STALKING AND "STILL-HUNTING."

On the Southern plains 428

APPENDIX.

PART I.

THE LARGE GAME OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL,

With notes on other Spanish Mammalia 437

Red Deer 437

Fallow Deer 438

The Roebuck in Spain 439

The Spanish Ibex 440

The Chamois 441

The Bear 442

Wild Boar 443

Wolf and Fox 444-5

Spanish Lynx 446

Smaller beasts 447 _et seq._

PART II.

SPRING-MIGRANTS TO SPAIN,

With dates of arrival, etc., in Andalucia 450