30 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



my friend Brook found a Buzzard's nest 

 on the ground amongst heather, in just 

 the kind of situation that the Merlin 

 would choose. In this instance there 

 was very little attempt at nest construc- 

 tion, just a few pieces of heather and 

 grasses and sheep's wool. Unfortunately 

 the eggs were taken by a Crow or egg- 

 thief; this was a great pity, as full pre- 

 paration had been made to photograph 

 the bird feeding the young as soon as 

 they left the shells, and the peculiar 

 situation in which the nest was built 

 made it an almost ideal place for photo- 

 graphy. On several occasions our plans 

 for photography have been frustrated by 

 the unprincipled egg-thief. At the com- 

 mencement of this book I mentioned that 

 a certain collector made a desperate 

 attack on the Welsh nests. Unfortu- 

 nately, although he has been banished 

 from Wales, his efforts to damage the 

 birds have not ceased, for only a short 



