138 BIRD LIFE IN WILD WALES 



away. Eventually we reached P., where I examined 

 the Buzzard's eyrie that we found a day or two ago. 

 No further progress had been made with it, and it 

 certainly seems deserted. Just after this we reached 

 B., where, climbing a very steep cliff, we crossed the 

 moorland to the D. valley. Descending an extremely 

 treacherous hillside, we got into this valley where it 

 joins another. Just here, in a large wood, a Kite's 

 nest had been reported to the keeper, but we saw no 

 Kites or nest either. I climbed up to a Magpie's nest 

 containing six eggs. Part of the lining in this nest 

 was dried grass, which is decidedly unusual. Charles 

 Dixon, indeed, in his work on " British Birds' Nests 

 and Eggs," states that this material is never used as 

 far as British Magpies are concerned, but here is an 

 instance of how unsafe it is to generalise. Close to 

 L. house we noticed a pair of Stonechats, which 

 seemed sorely agitated, but we had no time to hunt 

 for their secret. 



May gth. — We all started for the Stonechats' haunt. 

 By the stream we hunted, but in vain, for a Sand- 

 piper's nest, though we did find one good scratching. 

 We then visited a keeper who had told us the pre- 

 vious evening that he had set a trap for a Buzzard by 

 a dead sheep. We were all delighted to hear that he 

 had not caught it, but he had captured a dog whose 

 brains the rascal had blown out, for which we sin- 

 cerely hoped that he would meet with a warm recep- 

 tion from the neighbouring farmers. He further 

 informed us that a pair of Buzzards had made 

 attempts on his goslings ; but this savours of the 

 Kite rather than the Buzzard. Visiting the chats, 



