Anglesey 



lying flattened out on the rock, basking in the sun, 

 as I have frequently seen them do. The bird's eyes 

 were closed, and its feathers sleeked down. It was 

 either asleep or feigning sleep. I had stood for ten 

 or fifteen seconds facing it. If it was asleep, it 

 should have continued to sleep until aroused by the 

 shutter ; if it was feigning, it probably considered 

 that there was too much intention in my attitude to 

 risk the situation any longer. 



Development of the plate subsequently showed 

 that the bird was in position at the time of exposure, 

 but the plate was rendered useless by a slight side- 

 shift of the camera while the shutter-blind was 

 passing. 



That was the first and last snap I obtained of this 

 nightjar. Although I visited the nest daily during 

 the following week, I never again caught sight of the 

 bird. Upon going to the nest eight days after the 

 second egg had been laid, I found several pieces of 

 stone and one broken egg-shell in the nest, and the 

 broken shell of the second egg a yard outside the 

 nest. Had the good folk of Penmon had their way 

 with the ill-omened bird ? The fact that none of 

 the contents of the eggs was to be traced on the 

 ground, and both were broken clean in halves, one 

 having been carried a yard over a little six-inch wall 

 of stone forming the rear of the nest, pointed to an 

 alternative. Either gull or carrion crow would 

 readily enough devour them, but in such a case the 

 question was how to account for the presence of 



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