152 BIRD LIFE IN WILD WALES 



of the parents, not to mention their cries of 

 alarm. 



May lA^tJi. — Climbing along the A. rocks, I 

 disturbed many Daws from their nests, as well as 

 Stock Doves and a pair of Kestrels, but I failed to 

 find the eggs of these last, though I must have been 

 very close to them. 



Walked home along the river bank and watched a 

 pair of Pied Flycatchers by the ferry for some time. 

 Just here, too, in a thorn-bush, I noticed a Chaffinch's 

 nest containing half a dozen very pale eggs. Later 

 on went up to New House wood, and scaling the 

 tree adjoining the one containing the Sparrow-hawk's 

 nest, saw that two more eggs had been laid. The 

 smaller species of Hawks only lay every other day, 

 and sometimes only every third da}-. It was quite 

 late when I returned, and the Nightjars were very 

 lively. 



May 15///. — Walked into B. by the line and noticed 

 numbers of Swallows perched on the telegraph wires. 

 A great many Swifts, too, were hawking close over 

 the metals. Stopping suddenly to watch them, I 

 disturbed a Tree Pipit from her eggs — six in number. 

 This bird would never have risen had I not stopped 

 point-blank, as the nest was low down in the embank- 

 ment on my left, and doubtless my stopping made 

 her think that I had seen her. I have often noticed 

 this trait before in birds which " set" closely. You may 

 walk quickly past a brooding Fern Owl, say, almost 

 treading on her, and she will never move ; but if you 

 proceed slowly, stopping occasionally, she will just as 

 certainly rise. Indeed, this is one of the chief points 



