38 iy he Birds of Pembrokeshire. 
entrance, had to be pulled in, while yet swinging, by another 
rope. Precious are the eggs taken at sucha risk! The Raven 
is probably our earliest breeder. All the nests I have seen were 
robbed somewhere between 28th February and the 12th March. 
How the bird manages to brave the piercing north-easterly gales, 
accompanied by sleet and hail, which dash with the utmost force 
against the nest on the exposed face of the cliffs in our neigh- 
bourhood (Tenby) I cannot imagine.” 
SKYLARK, 4Zauda arvensis—A common resident ; reinforced by 
migrantsin the autumn. Fairly common and distributed through- 
out the county. Mr. Dix says: ‘“ More numerous in the moun- 
tains than in the more enclosed parts; certainly not so common 
as in England, but I think there can be no doubt that we have 
an increase of numbers in the autumn, at which time they come 
more into the valleys.” We never saw in Pembrokeshire such 
large flocks of Skylarks as we have noted in England flying 
before approaching severe weather in the winter. 
WOODLARK, AZauda arborea.—Resident, but scarce and local, 
Has been much persecuted by birdcatchers. The Rev. C. M. 
Phelps only once saw a Woodlark in the neighbourhood of 
Tenby. Mr. Tracy says it was common in his day around 
Pembroke. We had none nesting in our fields at Stone Hall, 
where we only saw it in small flocks in the winter months. We 
once saw a flock consisting of about thirty in a small furze brake. 
A few pairs were reported as nesting between Letterstone and 
Fishguard, but the whole time we were in the county we never 
once heard the song of this bird, and as we were constantly 
driving about during the summer we must have done so had any 
been in the district. We believe that it has become much more 
scarce since Mr. Tracy and Mr. Dix penned their notes upon the 
birds of the county. Writing in 1866, Mr. Dix could then say 
of the Woodlark that it was ‘‘ very generally distributed, and a 
constant resident. It is an early breeder. I saw a young one 
that could fly in the beginning of May, and I have every reason 
