result, although later on in the afternoon I saw birds of this species in the 

 open ground higher up stream. At a similar " scar " some miles away, I 

 had found the nests and actually been able to examine the materials of 

 which one was made, as the earth had slipped away and cut the face back 

 to near the end of the tunnel. I had hoped to find Owls in this wood, but 

 all I saw of them was a solitary wing feather, probably of a Long-eared 

 Owl. Leaving the wood behind me, I moved up stream again, seeing a 

 pair of Sandpipers, which seemed to have a nest in some rushes growing 

 near the stream, but search as I would I could not find it. A flock of Missel 

 Thrushes passed within range of my glass, eight of them, which by their 

 churring disclosed their identity. I saw a Linnet (not a common bird in 

 these parts) a male with a lovely rose breast, sitting on a hawthorn bush 

 and singing; and not far off, the female and apparently, her young family 

 with her. In the evening, a solitary Raven was seen soaring and croaking 

 over one of the lower hills, apparently on the look out for carrion. 



The Thursday was a bright day, and I set off by myself to go up 

 Cross Fell. On the way, Grouse, Snipe, and Peewits were noted on the 

 moorland, and twenty Starlings in a flock in one of the fell pastures. Making 

 my way up the largest mountain valley in the district,* with Cumberland on 

 my left hand and Westmorland on my right, I kept a look out for the 

 Dipper, as all along I had failed to see it. Noticing what looked like signs 

 of a nest amongst rocks at the top edge of the steep side of the valley, or 

 " Gill "' as they call it here, I climbed up towards it, and passed on my 

 way beds of stones on the steep side of the mountain, and flitting over 

 them a pair of Wheatears which uttered their alarm notes at me as I 

 watched them, but hesitated to disclose the place of their nest and the 

 young they were taking insects for. A Pipit also was seen close to them. 



Passing the rough patches of stones, I arrived at the foot of a group 

 of rocks which might have been arranged on their ends, one above 

 another, by some Titanic hand. These were the rocks of the " Whin Sill '* 

 mentioned in the opening part of this article. No signs of an actual nest 

 could I see, but only clumps of heather growing amongst the rocks. 

 Putting my binocular away in its case for safety, I clambered up through 

 a neck in the rocks, and gained what seemed to be the favourite spot 

 in the group. Round this I carefully searched and found two " casts " 

 or pellets of undigested remains, such as are thrown up by Falcons 

 aud Hawks. One of these casts contained the pieces of bones ot 

 some mammal, that might have been a rabbit, broken into pieces half 

 an inch aud less in length, as if they had been smashed by some 

 human being with a hammer. These pieces of bone were matted 

 together with hair or fur I could not identify, but which was most 

 like that of a rabbit. The second pellet or cast contained a large 

 number of the wing cases of some beetles, of a beautiful deep blue. Either 



* Vide Plate lacing p. 220, "The Haunt of the Dipper." 



