6 OUR RARER BRITISH BREEDING BIRDS. 



two ago, frightened a shepherd. Having been told 

 where the bird had built, my brother borrowed 

 a long rope and crowbar, and, stripping off all his 

 clothes except trousers and shirt, climbed a steep 

 mountain side with his apparatus. Upon arriving 

 at the top of the precipice he drove the crowbar 

 into the ground with a lump of rock, tied his rope 

 to it, and, with his camera on his back, began 

 his descent hand over hand. A shepherd who 

 happened to be looking on, upon seeing him dis- 

 appear over the edge of the crag, was so overcome 

 with emotion that he fell on his knees and 

 clutched at the grass. Upon regaining mastery 

 over his feelings, he walked away declaring that 

 the photographer would never come up again 

 alive ; but he did, and with a picture too ! 



When in the air near its breeding - haunt, 

 the Common Buzzard may be easily identified by 

 its broad wings, square tail, and plaintive, cat-like 

 mewing note as it circles majestically overhead. 

 I have occasionally seen it severely mobbed by 

 Carrion Crows. If not harried too much by col- 

 lectors in certain parts of Wales where there is 

 no game-preserving carried on, it ought to hold 

 its own for a long time to come. I sincerely 

 hope it will, for it adds a considerable degree of 

 life and charm to some of the bare lonely moun- 

 tains, on the edges of which it may be seen 

 hovering in a breeze very much like a great 

 Kestrel. 



Its nest is made of sticks, often in considerable 

 quantities, lined with hay, dead grass, leaves, or 

 wool. My friend Dr. Salter, of Aberystwith, tells 

 me that, according to his experience, Buzzards 

 use thinner sticks than Kavens in building their 

 nests, and generally place a few birch twigs with 



