WITH THE BIRDS IN WALES 189 



nest. I examined many pellets, which proved to 

 contain quantities of mouse fur and bones with the 

 wing-cases of beetles, but no birds of any sort, though 

 on an adjacent ledge I found the remains of a 

 Sparrow. Whilst waiting for a view of the Kestrels 

 I was much interested in the actions of a pair of 

 Magpies, quartering the ground carefully, no doubt 

 for a ravenous brood, and they were certainly looking 

 for some young Curlews, for an adult pair of these 

 last-named birds were in sore distress, at times fairly 

 stooping at the Magpies. 



I have learnt a lesson over the Snipe in these 

 parts, for they would appear to be exceptionally late 

 breeders here, as certainly the two pairs that I saw 

 this morning are onh' just beginning to lay, and the 

 nest I did find only contained three eggs, whereas a 

 Snipe invariably lays four. Now, down south Snipe 

 are often hatched during the first week in May, very 

 occasionally sooner. In Scotland I know that they 

 are very late breeders, but should never have sus- 

 pected it here in the west. In consequence, I was 

 looking for Snipes' nests in April and during the 

 whole of May, not understanding why I was unsuc- 

 cessful. 



Just by the quarries a Woodlark was singing 

 beautifully, and I saw him, whilst searching some 

 bracken for his nest, but I did not find it. Just 

 here a pair of Kestrels were hawking gracefully as 

 usual. 



June ^th. — To the hills to see how Pike and his 

 friend had been getting on. The former had been 

 photographing a Curlew's nest on the hill facing the 



