262 BIRD LIFE IN WILD WALES 



by a Crow ; the time then being twelve minutes past 

 four. The Crow kept getting above him some twenty 

 feet as far as I could judge, and then " stooping," not 

 straight and strong as a Peregrine would, but very 

 much on the slant. The Kite easily avoided his sable 

 antagonist, however, but never showed fight at all, 

 being in this respect like the Buzzard. After a few 

 short skirmishes the corvus gave it up, whereupon the 

 Kite, after taking a circle above the wood, began to 

 quarter the ground very carefully on n hillside 

 running parallel to it. First a few gentle flaps of 

 his ample wings, then a glide, anon hovering like 

 a giant Kestrel. I could see him very plainly, and 

 noticed with pleasure how much he used his forked 

 tail as a rudder, first inclining one side then the 

 other to catch the passing air-currents. Indeed, the 

 Kite seems to use his tail in flight just as much as 

 his wings. 



Once he came within easy gunshot of a farmer and 

 his son who were hedging hard by, and for some 

 minutes was only some eighty yards or less from 

 me. I watched him with great satisfaction, and 

 felt quite sad when at length he disappeared over 

 the hill. 



On April 3rd Ur. Salter and Mr. Forrest, who were 

 stopping with me, visited this same locality in pouring 

 wet weather, but saw no signs of a Kite by the wood 

 over which I saw one on March 2/th, nor could we 

 find any trace of a new nest. Mr Forrest photo- 

 graphed the old nest, which was in the same state 

 as on March 2/th. Half a mile further on, however, 

 over a fine range of rocks, a Kite was visible working 



