134 BIRD LIFE IN WILD WALES 



albumen. The egg with the large hole in, was an 

 exceptionally small one, and had no marking on it. 

 I have made a specimen of this egg. It now began 

 to hail fearfully, but we continued over the hill to C. 

 nursery, where we found a Crow's nest containing five 

 callow young, three of which the keeper speedily 

 killed. The other brace he left, as he wished to 

 return some evening and destroy the parent birds. 

 Crossing the road, we lunched by an inviting stream 

 on the way to the "Wheel," and watched a Buzzard for 

 some time. Just here, too, the Colonel climbed up to 

 a Crow's old nest, and myself to a Magpie's, but 

 neither contained anything. Crossing a good Snipe 

 bog, we came in sight of a natural amphitheatre, 

 formed by some rocks, where the Buzzards nested last 

 year, and I believe brought off their brood in safety. 

 Soon the Buzzards themselves were on view, wheeling 

 above us, mewing the while. The old nest, which 

 was at the base of a thorn-bush leaning over the 

 abyss, and some fifty feet down, had been patched 

 up, and contained one splendidly marked egg. The 

 nest was lined principally with mountain grass and a 

 little fern. 



From here we crossed T. hill, where there is a fair- 

 sized cairn, which we added to, and then followed the 

 course of a ravine, where another pair of Buzzards 

 nested last year ; but in vain, for they were robbed. 

 Nothing had been done to this nest, nor were the 

 birds to be seen. Passing through a hillside wood, 

 we soon reached another valley, just at the confluence 

 of two rivers. At F. a fairly fresh Buzzard's eyrie 

 was found. No birds were seen, however, and per- 



