CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. Id 



this road skirted the banks of the river Irfon — pro- 

 tection to the public passing that way being afforded 

 by a stone wall which, in fact, was just outside the 

 hotel on the far side of the road. Several feet 

 below the top of this wall was a waste-pipe, which 

 emptied itself into the stream below. On the top of 

 this pipe was the nest, one side of it being firmly 

 fixed against the wall — curious sort of a position, 

 wasn't it? When I first got information of this nest 

 the young could only just have been hatched. I 

 watched it during the whole time the parents were 

 feeding their young, till one fine morning they took 

 flight. Knowing the habit of this species, that after 

 educating their young in the art of fishing for them- 

 selves, and thus getting their own livelihood, they 

 return to the old nest, lay some more eggs, and 

 endeavour to bring up a second brood, I was 

 anxious to prove this characteristic of these little 

 birds by personal observation. True to what has 

 been recorded of them they returned to the old 

 nesting-site after only a few days absence, and the 

 female began to lay eggs again ; during this period 

 the male was attentive to her wants. I was watch- 

 ing the nest carefully all the time; knew, in fact, how 

 many eggs there were. Early one morning when 

 returning from a walk in the grounds, what was my 

 surprise to see a group of people assembled round 

 the spot, a ladder let down into the bed of the 

 stream which was dry, and a lady and gentleman 

 hard at work taking the eggs out of the nest ; and, 

 not satisfied with that, but doing their best to 



