AHERCONWY. 



151 



Caprimulgus Europseus. Night-jar. Troellwr. 



It arrives in this neighbourhood about the end of May, and con- 

 tinues generally until the beginning of September. It is distin- 

 guished by a sort of continued buzzing, which has been aptly com- 

 pared to the noise caused by a spinning wheel ; hence its Welsh name 

 from iroell, a spinning wheel : it is also called nyddtvr, the spinner, 

 for the same reason. 



Chaiaclrius hiaticula. Ring- dotterel. Hutaii. 



These birds come over in the spring, and they breed on the shore 

 of Llandudno bay, and Conwy marsh ; they make no nest, and the 

 eggs, of a pale ash colour with black spots, are laid on the bare ground. 



Ardea major. Heron. Creyr glas. 



A pair occasionally build in Benarth wood ; but there is a heronry 

 at Pennant, in the parish of Eglwys vach, where they are numerous. 



Ardea comata. Squacco Heron. Creyr melyn. 



A specimen of this extremely rare bird was shot by Mr. Robert 

 Williams of Furnace in July, 1828, near his house ; he gave it to 

 .lohn Price, Esq. then of Bodnod, who liberally presented it to the 

 British Museum, where it is now preserved. It measured one foot 

 and ten inches in length ; and two feet eleven inches in breadth. 

 Length of the bill two and a half inches. Mandibles fine blue, with 

 the fore part black. Lore greenish ; irides yellow. Crown dusky 

 and buff, in stripes. The long crest feathers white in the middle, 

 with black edges; the two middle feathers reaching the back. 

 The rest of the plumage rusty buff and white ; back vinous ; legs 

 and toes yellow ; tail short, cream-coloured. Middle claw pectin- 

 ated on the inner edge, as in the night-jar. ^ 



Scolopax arquata. Curlew. Gylvinhir. 



These birds are very numerous in this neighbourhood, and thoy 

 breed in the mountains above. 



6 lM)i tins, -.iiiil Mveral Dllid iiolkfs .,ri.ii,!> aii.l plants, I am iiidcl.tcd to the ^ilIdllcss 

 of inv friend, .Inlui I'licr.Esq. M.A. SI. .|(.lin's College, Callil.lidge. 



