WITH THE BIRDS IN WALES 133 



homes, these latter are hard to find, as there are 

 innumerable large boulders and great shaly pieces 

 of slate in indiscriminate medley. We examined 

 one nest containing half a dozen eggs. P. wood is 

 quite close to the quarry, and here we hoped to find 

 a Kite's eyrie, but in this we were disappointed. We 

 saw a Buzzard over the wood, and shortly were 

 examining the nests there. The very large nest in 

 the fork of an oak was not in use ; but a seemingly 

 fresh nest had been made in a tree adjacent. But 

 the best used one of all, and the one they mean to lay 

 in, was on the rock at the top of the wood. This had 

 a nice lining of green larch sprigs, and they will 

 certainly lay during the week. Three or four days 

 often elapse between the laying of each egg, so that 

 this Buzzard will not begin to set much before the 

 middle of the month. On the hillside facing the 

 wood we had a fine view of a Kestrel being mobbed 

 by at least a dozen Jackdaws ; the Kestrel's move- 

 ments were as usual full of grace, and he avoided the 

 stoops of the Daws very cleverly. On the way home 

 we saw little but a pair of Red Grouse and another 

 Buzzard. 



May 6th. — Started for the Buzzard's nest at C, 

 going up R. hill. When some way from the nursery 

 containing the nest we were surprised at not seeing 

 the birds about, and on getting closer our surprise 

 turned to alarm. On ascending the tree, which is a 

 Scotch fir, and close to the one in which they nestled 

 last year, I found one egg in fragments and the other 

 with an enormous hole in it — sure work of the Carrion 

 Crow. Both were lying in a pool of yolk and 



