THE RED KITE 199 



Things went on like this till somewhere about 

 1890, when there were perhaps twenty pairs left 

 in south-central Wales, and the outlook was very 

 bad indeed. Seeing, however, that landowners 

 were beginning to wake up, and that some keepers 

 even were refraining from molesting the bird, the 

 Kite might yet have w r on its way back to 

 comparative plenty. Only unfortunately, an egg- 

 dealer got wind of them, with the result that the 

 succeeding spring he swept Kite territory, coming 

 away with probably six clutches. This robbery 

 continued apace till 1902, and from one cause or 

 another the Kites appeared to have dwindled to, 

 say, eight couples. It is true that certain bird- 

 lovers had tried to check the looting, but only half- 

 heartedly. Various devices were tried, such as 

 twining barbed wire round the nest-tree and 

 1 ' tipping ' the neighbouring farmers : but that 

 was no good, for the snatchers (with no watchmen 

 and dogs to stop them) came by night with ropes 

 and portable ladders, while on other occasions all 

 manner of shifts were employed and succeeded. 



Anyhow, no luck attended these kindly 

 endeavours, and meanwhile another pair or so came 

 to grief, till, in 1903, I knew of only four breeding 

 pairs and an unmated bird or two. In fact the 

 end of all things seemed to be at hand. That 

 very year, however, members of the British" 

 Ornithologists' Club subscribed liberally, and 

 something was done to protect the shattered 



