270 BIRD LIFE IN WILD WALES 



They were soaring in spiral curves round one another, 

 just as the Buzzards will, especially in the early 

 spring. Some ten miles from this point I had a 

 fleeting glimpse of yet another Kite, but he was in a 

 locality where there are no woods whatever, so I could 

 only presume that he was the unmated bird before 

 referred to. 



May igth. — ^A record and red-letter day indeed, 

 for in lovely weather Messrs. Gwynne-Vaughan, 

 Owen, Pike, and myself visited the wood where the 

 keeper has repeatedly seen a pair of Red Kites. I 

 had kept away from this spot for some time now, 

 so that the birds might not be disturbed in any 

 way should they have anything there, which was, 

 of course, extremely likely. We met the keeper in 

 the village, and after a good two miles reached the 

 wood, which was beginning to show its summer finery. 

 The keeper had seen both Kites in its vicinity during 

 the past week, and one yesterday which looked rather 

 as if a sitting bird might be in the background some- 

 where ; but as yet no nest had been discovered. 



Gwynne-Vaughan and myself preceded the others 

 by quite a quarter of a mile, and reaching the wood 

 first, sat down to enjoy a few sandwiches, for it was 

 well past midday. As we rose, the Buzzard whose 

 nest I found ready lined on April i8th flew out over 

 the valley, though she was silent enough to have had 

 nothing there. Indeed, she hardly " mewed " at all 

 whilst I was climbing to her nest, which now con- 

 tained two eggs (one well blotched at the large end). 



From their appearance these eggs looked highly 

 incubated. 



