Besides the lessees of the auction-sold _puestos_ (many of whom come from Madrid and distant parts of Spain), there foregather on these occasions all the local gunners; and far away beyond those sacred areas secured by purchase there form up league-long lines of fowlers by the distant shore; so that, between the private and privileged _puestos_ and the free public lines outside, there may assemble in all some 3000 gunners. Hence these _tiradas_ partake of the character of a popular festival. Yet in spite of such numbers there is not the slightest confusion or danger, so perfect are the rules and so scrupulously are they observed. With so many guns scattered over wide areas no precise record of the exact numbers secured are possible; but, according to the estimates of those best calculated to judge, as many as 22,000 to 23,000 head (ducks and coots) are obtained in a single morning. The records of individual guns in the best _replazas_ run from 100 to 200 ducks gathered, and occasionally exceed those figures. At the first shoot of the year fully 25 per cent of the spoil are coots; but at the later shoots ducks are obtained in greater proportion, as coots then quit the rice-grounds. These later shoots do not produce quite such stupendous totals; but still immense numbers are bagged--ten or twelve thousand in a morning. As the majority of purchasers come from a distance and usually only remain for one, or perhaps two, of the fixed shooting days, such prices as £80 to £100 represent a fairly stiff rent. Few mallards are obtained at the first shoot, but their numbers increase as the winter advances. The chief species are pintail, wigeon, teal, and shoveller, together with a few shelducks and many common and red-crested pochards. Flamingoes and spoon-bills frequent the shallows in small numbers. As individual instances; from a _replaza_ that cost 900 pesetas (say £40), and which was the _ninth_ in point of price that year, one gun fired 700 cartridges in a single morning. The best _replaza_--at least the most expensive (it cost 1500 pesetas)--was tenanted last winter by friends from whose experiences, not too encouraging, we gather: At the first shoot (November 13) the post was occupied by a single gun, who, after firing 400 shots, was compelled to desist owing to injury to his shoulder. "I believe," he writes, "I might have fired 1500 cartridges had I continued all day, but was obliged to leave early. The boatmen had then gathered ninety--sixty ducks, thirty coot--and expected to recover more." On November 28 the post was occupied by three guns: "No day for duck, a blazing sun so hot that the reflection from the water blistered our faces. The ducks mounted up high in air and mostly cleared early in the proceedings, though some were attracted by our 100 decoys. We killed ninety-six, mostly wigeon and pochard, a few mallard and teal, besides twenty snipe. The desideratum is a really rough day, but that at Valencia is past praying for."