WITH THE BIRDS IN WALES 197 



nest on its outskirts, were not rewarded. Other finds 

 in the course of the day were a Yellow Bunting's 

 nest and a young Wheatear, which were both con- 

 verted into " plates." Further, we were glad to see 

 a nice brood of Ravens on the rocks above their 

 eyrie ; and here, too, a pair of Kestrels were greatly 

 distressed, but we did not find their eggs. We saw 

 nothing of the Fork-tailed Kites all day. 



June 6th. Heard a Grasshopper Warbler last 

 evening reeling out its curious notes, so to-day, 

 visiting the spot, endeavoured to find the nest, which 

 was certainly somewhere in a furze covert of no great 

 extent, but we were quite unsuccessful. The Vicar has 

 a Lesser Whitethroat's nest in his garden in a box- 

 bush. This species is by no means plentiful here ; 

 indeed, this is only the second pair that I have seen 

 this summer. On the G. rocks I flushed a male Night- 

 jar (always known by the white feathers in the tail 

 and wings, which the female lacks), and in the em- 

 bankment a Tree Pipit fluttered from her callow 

 young. This spot I had repeatedly passed, and 

 must have almost brushed the sitting bird on many 

 occasions. 



June 7th. Went up over the hill to the Golden 

 Plover's haunt. On reaching there, saw both the old 

 Plovers, many Peewits, and two cock Grouse, which 

 must have hens sitting somewhere close at hand. 

 Grouse lay according to the state of the weather, 

 being governed probably in this respect more than 

 any other bird, and as the present spring has been 

 exceedingly rough and cold, many Grouse will only 

 be laying now ; besides which on this hill, there is 



