142 BIRD LIFE IN WILD WALES 



the morning, and he graciously informed us that he 

 would not shoot a Raven, but would shoot a Kite 

 if he saw one, and get it stuffed. We sincerely 

 hoped that he would not see a Kite. 



May \Qtth. I first visited the New House larch 

 wood, which holds a Sparrow-hawk's nest, finding on 

 the way a Blackcap's with a brace of eggs in it. On 

 getting to the wood I climbed an oak-tree adjacent 

 to the larch containing the Hawk's nest, and noted- 

 that two well-marked eggs had been laid. Then 

 on to the Black Bog, where I noted the usual 

 Curlew and Peewit, besides flushing a Meadow Pipit 

 from her five eggs in the rough, tussocky grass. By 

 a little rivulet, bordered by a few clumps of rushes 

 and cotton grass, I disturbed a pair of Snipe, from 

 which I presume that they have not laid yet. The 

 male immediately, on being flushed, began to " bleat." 

 Further on still, in another bog, I flushed a single 

 bird of this species, but could find no nest From 

 here I made tracks for the " Marten-cat's " rocks ; 

 but although I saw both Kestrels, could not find 

 their eyrie, though I knew that it must be there 

 somewhere. 



May nth. Went out for a stroll by the river and 

 noticed a pair of Pied Flycatchers building their nest 

 in the hole of an apple-tree. The female was doing 

 all the work, and I watched her for some time. The 

 cock bird sang continuously from a branch of the 

 same tree. I noticed, too, that a pair of Hedge 

 Sparrows have just hatched a brood in an ivied 

 stump on the embankment. Almost immediately 

 after this, on getting through some wire into a little 



