IN THE NEST HAUNT OF THE KITE 271 



The Buzzards had been adding fresh materials 

 during incubation — grass and ivy leaves. In the 

 meantime the other three had come up, Gwynne- 

 Vaughan and Owen at once sitting down some twenty 

 yards above the tree I was in, whilst the other two 

 went further along the wood. On climbing down I 

 joined the two first-named, and had hardly done so 

 when Gwynne-Vaughan jumped up like a madman, 

 exclaiming, " By heavens there's a Kite ! " And so 

 there was indeed. The Forky-tail sailed majestically 

 over the valley, and was for the time being lost to 

 view. Mr. Pike now ascended an ivied oak which 

 contained the nest of two years back — the same from 

 which the hen was so ruthlessly shot — whilst we 

 other four sat down to watch operations. Personally 

 I kept a bright look-out on all sides, and spotting a 

 large nest higher up in the wood, got up without a 

 word and strolled towards it. 



The Kite Gwynne-Vaughan saw must have just 

 left her nest ; at all events, she now returned by a 

 series of circles which got less and less as she neared 

 the centre of the wood, when she was attacked by a 

 Crow. Twice she " mewed," a thinner, higher-pitched 

 call than the Buzzard's, and iterated " wheiou, whew, 

 whew, whew," but beyond putting out her talons once, 

 showed no fight. When almost under the tree con- 

 taining the nest I had seen, both Kites were above 

 me within long gunshot, circling about in rather an 

 agitated manner, which looked hopeful. It did not 

 look much of a nest, but the moment I got underneath 

 it I knew it was the real article, for a flake of wool 

 and a few pieces of down were clinging to the sticks. 



