WITH THE BIRDS IN WALES 177 



birds feeding their young ; for they are excessively 

 shy, and will not approach their nests should they 

 suspect danger. From time to time they uttered 

 guttural notes, expressive of alarm, and the young 

 Herons responded with very peculiar sounds im- 

 possible to describe. After an hour or two of this, 

 I went into the smaller wood adjacent, where I saw 

 both the Buzzards, which were clearly agitated ; but 

 I could find no eyrie in use. Buzzards will some- 

 times (should any mischance befall the first clutch) 

 lay again, and if they do a fresh nest is generally 

 built. In this wood I found a fresh cutting of the 

 Great Spotted Woodpecker's, which I think is 

 tenanted, as I saw one of the birds close by. 



Again to the Golden Plover's haunt. We found 

 one bird in the same spot as yesterday ; but though 

 we tried to circumvent the Plover by going away for 

 half an hour and then creeping up over the brow of 

 the hill, we were unsuccessful. This ruse we tried 

 twice, and the second time located a pair of Snipe, 

 flushing both the birds, but not from the nest. 1 We 

 had a fine view of the male flying in circles, 

 " bleating " the while, as is his wont during the 

 season of reproduction. This sound is a very 

 curious one, and is, I think, caused by the tail. 

 I notice that it always occurs when the bird is 

 flying downwards ; but no one has yet, so far as 

 I know, discovered the exact source of the sound. 

 Whilst looking for the Golden Plover's nest we 

 found a Peewit's, containing three eggs. 



1 I have once or twice heard a Snipe " bleat" when at rest ; 

 which would seem to dismiss the tail theory. 



13 



