WITH THE BIRDS IN WALES 83 



he glided through the air (hence, no doubt, one of the 

 Kite's names Glead). We were now half-way up a 

 cliff fully a thousand feet above the brown trout 

 stream, though broken up into smaller precipices 

 some of them sheer. During lunch we heard sundry 

 croakings about a hundred feet above us, and I climbed 

 in the direction of the sounds, when sure enough the 

 secret was out, for a large Raven flew from her eyrie, 

 situate in a sort of hole beneath the protection of a 

 huge boulder of rock which must have weighed many 

 tons. It was not an easy place to get to, and in 

 addition there was a very high wind, which never 

 facilitates rock-climbing, but eventually I reached it, 

 and found that the nest contained five very light- 

 coloured eggs with very few markings. In addition 

 I enjoyed a perfectly glorious view from my breezy 

 perch. The Ravens were not particularly demon- 

 strative. After this we struck across the moor to a 

 belt of larches, where the Kites attempted to breed 

 last year. Pike photographed the relics of the nest 

 as well as the site. Just here we watched a pair of 

 Buzzards for some time, wheeling above a curiously 

 contorted oak that held their ancient nest, which was 

 of considerable dimensions. Of course it was far too 

 early in the season for them to have eggs, but here 

 they breed every year, and I fancy that they generally 

 succeed in taking off a brood. Then on to the C. 

 valley, where we soon caused considerable uneasiness 

 to yet another pair of Ravens, and very shortly found 

 their nest, built behind an oak sapling growing from 

 the cliffside. It contained two sound eggs and one 

 broken one. Very clearly a stone, dislodged in some 



