WITH THE BIRDS IN WALES 143 



belt of woodland, I disturbed a Sandpiper from her 

 four eggs, which were exceptionally well coloured. 

 Close here, too, a Blue Tit was nesting in the 

 masonry of a culvert. For some time I watched a 

 gaunt Fisher Heron standing mid-stream in some 

 shallows with great pleasure, and during my vigil 

 he caught one fish. Saw no Kingfishers. 



May \2th. — Walking along the railway found a 

 Summer Snipe's nest with the usual four eggs, 

 There was hardly any nest — just a few wisps of 

 dried grass. The one I found yesterday was more 

 compact, and, besides a fair quantity of grass, con- 

 tained some dead leaves. 



Found a freshly cut Green Woodpecker's nest-hole, 

 which I expect contained eggs, but we did not cut it 

 out. The note of the Greater Spotted Woodpecker 

 was also heard just here. We were also very close 

 to a Wood Wren's nest, as both the birds were utter- 

 ing their plaintive alarm note of " tui, tui," but we 

 could not find out their secret. In the chink of an 

 oak, too, was a Creeper's home — empty, but under- 

 neath the tree were fragments of egg, clearly belong- 

 ing to this species. Previously to all this we had 

 examined a Moorhen's nest, built on a fallen tree- 

 trunk lying in a small pond. From what I have 

 observed from time to time, I should say that this 

 species sometimes begins to " set " as soon as the 

 first Q.^^ is laid. A Long-tailed Tit's nest containing 

 young next claimed our attention, and then, crossing 

 the road, we made for "The Three Trees," but saw 

 no Woodlarks there, as I expected. Then on to the 

 Black Bog, where the usual Curlews and Peewits 



