IN THE NEST HAUNT OF THE KITE 271 



The Buzzards had been adding fresh materials 

 during incubation grass and ivy leaves. In the 

 meantime the other three had come up, Gwynne- 

 Vaughan and Owen at once sitting down some twenty 

 yards above the tree I was in, whilst the other two 

 went further along the wood. On climbing down I 

 joined the two first-named, and had hardly done so 

 when Gwynne-Vaughan jumped up like a madman, 

 exclaiming, " By heavens there's a Kite ! " And so 

 there was indeed. The Forky-tail sailed majestically 

 over the valley, and was for the time being lost to 

 view. Mr. Pike now ascended an ivied oak which 

 contained the nest of two years back the same from 

 which the hen was so ruthlessly shot whilst we 

 other four sat down to watch operations. Personally 

 I kept a bright look-out on all sides, and spotting a 

 large nest higher up in the wood, got up without a 

 word and strolled towards it. 



The Kite Gwynne-Vaughan saw must have just 

 left her nest ; at all events, she now returned by a 

 series of circles which got less and less as she neared 

 the centre of the wood, when she was attacked by a 

 Crow. Twice she " mewed," a thinner, higher-pitched 

 call than the Buzzard's, and iterated " wheiou, whew, 

 whew, whew," but beyond putting out her talons once, 

 showed no fight. When almost under the tree con- 

 taining the nest I had seen, both Kites were above 

 me within long gunshot, circling about in rather an 

 agitated manner, which looked hopeful. It did not 

 look much of a nest, but the moment I got underneath 

 it I knew it was the real article, for a flake of wool 

 and a few pieces of down were clinging to the sticks. 



