Identifier: picturesofbirdli00lodg (find matches)
Title: Pictures of bird life : on woodland meadow, mountain and marsh
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Lodge, R. B
Subjects: Birds -- Pictorial works
Publisher: London : S. H. Bousfield
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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up witli tlie bridle—an instinctivehabit I could ne\er l)reak myself of he would invariablygo off at full gallop as hard as he could pelt ; and I dailyexpected to get my neck broken in one of these wildoutbursts over hard mud, punched into innumerable deepholes, where the cattle had trodden it when wet and soft.But all Spanish horses are wonderfully surefooted, and wenever came to grief, however dangerous the ground. Thefinish up of every days work was a race home with Augustin,as soon as the house became visible and the ground fairlylevel. In these races my horse invaria))ly came in first, andthe pace he could go o\er any description of ground wasastonishing. For tree work being mounted is a decided advantage.Standing on the saddle enables one to investigate manyholes Mhich would otherwise only have been reached byclimbing, and would often bring one within reach of a branchif the tree had to be ascended, and even if there were nobranch the height thus gained made a sfood start. On
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Nest of Night-heron (Ayciicorax griseiis). ;302 Pictures of Bird Life coming down I always foiuid the liorse where I liad lefthim, so that I could slip into the saddle and ride off tothe next one ; while eggs could be picked up from shallowwater, and even from level ground, without the trouble ofdismounting. On one occasion, while standing on my saddle to peerinto a large hole in a cork-tree, I saw in it two Barn-owls, whicli were standing side by side in their usual sedateand contemplative attitudes. One of them flapped out inmy face, and the other was grabbed before it could makeits escape. There was no nest, nor any sign of eggs, andmy capti\e was soon released. Soon afterwards anotherEarn-owl flew from a hole at the end of a broken branch,in which we found freshly hatched young, clad in purewhite down. The Barn-owl ( I^echuza) is Aery muchdisliked by Spaniards, who view it with the same super-stitious alarm with which it is regarded l)y the ignorant ofmost European nations. The ol

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