CHAPTER XXX 



Ferns and alpine plants Tawny Owls Long-eared Owl Natural check 

 upon Wood Pigeons Short-eared Owl Farmers' friends. 



THE abundance of the Scale Fern (Ceterach officinarum) on 

 walls about Mallwyd is in marked contrast to Llanuwchllyn, 

 where it does not occur at all. Indeed, the valley of the 

 Upper Dee is not rich in the variety of its flora. The 

 Common Polypody is the most abundant fern ; Ruta- 

 muraria, and the Black Spleenwort, are abundant on old 

 walls and bridges ; Hart's-tongue decidedly infrequent ; 

 Asplenium adiantum-nigrum is abundant ; A. viride only 

 occurs in a few nooks, such as the narrow gorge by which 

 one branch of the Little Dee debouches from Aran, at 

 Ceunant Llechweddyfwyalchen, and on the rocks above 

 Craig Llyn Dyfi. On the latter, Cystopteris fragilis also 

 grows sparingly, in company with Rhodiola rosea^ and one 

 or two other common alpine plants. Hymenophyllum tun- 

 bridgense is abundant in many places, H. wilsoni rare. Of the 

 Parsley Fern (Cryptogramme crisp a) I only noticed solitary 

 clumps, near the top of Aran, Craig Harri, and Craig-yr-ogof ; 

 but like so many other things, where they can get at it, 

 the sheep crop it close, and effectually prevent it from 

 spreading. 



After that of the White Owl, the hoot of the Tawny 

 Owl (Y Dylluan frech, or Dylluan rudd y in Cymry) proclaimed 

 it to be the next most numerous of the StriguL* in the Vale 

 of the Dyfi, as it is, also, around Llanuwchllyn, the "keewick" 

 of the young being constantly heard. It is this bird which, 

 when on the wing at night, utters the " Kek Kek," water- 

 hen-like call, that so frequently puzzles people. All the 



specimens of which I had a sufficiently near view in 



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