THE BIRDS OF BRECONSHIRE. 291 



Its shy and retiring habits, its wonderful sight, and diving powers, 

 have alone preserved it from extirpation ; but with all these in its 

 favour it often gets killed, as the many stuffed specimens both 

 here and elsewhere so abundantly testify. Mr. Alfred Crawshay, 

 shooting round the lake the year before last, and noticing a great 

 commotion in the reeds made by a Grebe, fired at it, and on 

 rowing up, found he had killed a female Great Crested Grebe 

 and two young ones, which at the time he fired must have been 

 sheltering under her wings. He has had the three stuffed to 

 commemorate the incident. It is a pity this bird should be killed, 

 for on a large lafte like Llangorse it would do actual good by 

 keeping down the extraordinary number of small roach and perch 

 that swarm there. 



Little Grebe, Pocliceps minor. — Common throughout the 

 county. It breeds on Llangorse Lake, and occasionally on smaller 

 lakes and ponds here, but in sparse numbers. It may be often 

 seen on any large pool in the Usk, or Wye, in the winter, diving 

 incessantly. I have never noticed it on the deep bogs of the 

 county, nor on any of the hill-streams. 



Guillemot, Uria troile. — I can record the occurrence of one 

 specimen, which was picked up dead after a storm in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Llanwrtyd, in this county. 



Cormorant, Graculus carlo. — I think visited us formerly 

 oftener than is generally supposed, probably following the course 

 of the river from the sea in search of Trout. I have seen one on 

 Newton Pool, near Brecon, but not of late years. Two or three 

 have been killed at Glanusk, on the Usk, the seat of Sir Joseph 

 Baily, Bart. Mr. Alfred Crawshay has observed it at Llangorse, 

 and other specimens have been obtained in this county. It has, 

 however, greatly decreased here, and is now seldom seen. The 

 Shag, G. cristatus, does not come so far inland, but keeps to 

 the coast. 



Gannet, Sulci bassana. — Miss Lloyd tells me that at Nant- 

 gwilt, some years ago, she picked up a fine Gannet alive (evidently 

 blown in by a storm), and kept it alive for some little time by 

 feeding it with fish and periwinkles. The nearest sea-coast must 

 be at least thirty miles from where the bird was found, and 

 shows the fearful power of the storms that occasionally occur on 

 our iron-bound coasts. Within the last few years a man passing 

 by Cefn Park, near Brecon, seeing a large white bird in a wood 



