WITH THE BIRDS IN WALES 113 



four feet in height, and I could look down on to the 

 sitting Owl. Poking her off, I found three Owlets 

 just hatched, and the remains of a long-tailed field- 

 mouse. I should certainly never have thought of 

 looking for a Brown Owl's nest in such a situation ; 

 but as I passed this stump rather casually glanced 

 down it and saw her Owlship sitting there com- 

 placently. 



In the rocks further up found what I believe to be 

 a polecat's or marten-cat's earth, certainly one of the 

 two, judging from the fur at the mouth of the bury, 

 which I should say contains kittens. In the oak- 

 scrub, in a most insignificant tree, I noticed a Carrion 

 Crow's nest, which contained three eggs, one very 

 light coloured. 



April igth. — i\fter breakfast walked up to the rocks 

 where the polecat's bury is with the tenant farmer 

 here. Saw several Wheatears and a pair of Meadow 

 Pipits. The Owl's nest this morning contained, in 

 addition to the three Owlets of course, two long- 

 tailed field-mice and parts of a young rabbit. When 

 I saw this I was exceedingly sorry that I had shown 

 it to the farmer, because he has the rabbit-shooting 

 and may in consequence attempt to destroy the 

 Owls, more especially as they are in such a ridicu- 

 lousy easy place to get to. They had been safer in 

 loftier quarters. 



Left with G. V. for S. wood, where the Buzzard 

 usually breeds. This wood is of fair size, chietly 

 composed of oaks, some of them being very fine 

 trees. G. V. took the lower part of the wood, myself 

 the upper, and very shortly discovered the nest on 



9 



