Jays and Sparrow-Hawk 239 



1906, on the side of the railway, about a mile east of 

 Llanuwchllyn station. In the latter year the eggs were of 

 the cold grey type ; in 1905 I did not see them. It was 

 one of the birds of this pair that killed the thrush above 

 alluded to. 



The male Red-backed Shrike, besides being a remarkably 

 handsome bird, has quite a pleasing song, uttered in a low 

 tone, as though for the special gratification of the singer 

 rather than for the world at large, but composed of a con- 

 siderable variety of sweet warbling notes, recalling alternately 

 the song of the Dipper and the Whitethroat, or sometimes 

 that of a Whinchat. Some of the notes, indeed, may be said 

 to be borrowed from the repertoire of other songsters, for, 

 like the Great Tit, the Lesser Butcher-bird is no mean 

 mimic. When the nest is approached, both parents are 

 sometimes very fearless, approaching the intruder very 

 closely, marking their anxiety by low, harsh chappings, and 

 swaying their expanded tails from side to side, in a very 

 curious and characteristic fashion. This shrike is known 

 locally as Y Ceigydd goch. 



The Jay is Pioden-y-coed, Ysgrechog, or Ysgrech-y-coed, 

 recalling the Gaelic Scriachag-choille, " screamer of the 

 wood." It is scarcely permitted to nest in the vicinity of 

 Llanuwchllyn, though it does so round Bala, and again 

 plentifully towards Dolgelly. It was numerous all down 

 the Dyfi valley, recently fledged young being considerably 

 in evidence in several places. The keeper at Dinas 

 Mawddwy was under the impression that young Jays were 

 a favourite food of Buzzards, from the number of their 

 recently devoured remains he found about his woods ; but 

 I am inclined to think he was putting the saddle upon the 

 wrong horse. Twice, on consecutive days, I saw one 

 pounced upon by a Sparrow-Hawk ; and as these are more 

 numerous in the woods than Buzzards are, I fancy that it is 

 at their door that the deaths of most of the young Jays must 

 be laid. They must either be specially toothsome to the 

 hawks, or must be taken in sheer bravado, for there was no 

 dearth of other prey in the woods ; and one of the Jays I 

 saw taken was a fully feathered bird, and almost safe, one 



