WITH THE BIRDS IN WALES 157 



Heronry. I climbed up to an old Crow's nest — a large 

 one it was too — and found that it had been tenanted 

 last year by some bird of prey, probably the Wood 

 Owls, for there were old bones and matted feathers 

 in it. 



Regardless of rain, I proceeded to S. wood to see 

 how the Sparrow-hawks were igetting on there. The 



NEST UF SI'AKKUW-HAWK. 



fir wood was full of quiet, a delightful quiet ; the 

 resinous smell of the larches had been brought out to 

 perfection by the rain, and the soft velvety moss of 

 the "rides" was saturated with moisture, so tliat I 

 was enabled to tread even more silently than if it had 

 been dry ; for there were brambles hanging at inter- 

 vals over the beaten track, and what would have been 

 but for the rain, dry, crackling fir-twigs. I experi- 



