3 | Vol. xxxix. 
Lord Roruscaitp ; D. Sera-Smira (/ditor) ; Major A. G. 
L. Stapen; G. pe H. Vaizey; J. Wictesworrn. 
Guests :—H. S. Fay, M.A.; G. pg H. Vaizey. 
Mr. Mzapz-Watpo gave the following account of the 
efforts that have been made in recent years to preserve the 
native stock of Kites in Wales :— 
I took over the Secretaryship of the B.O.U. Kite Protec- 
tion Fund from Mr. Witherby in 1905. As far as I could 
make out from my own observations, and from what the 
local residents and those interested in their preservation 
told me, there were then only two pairs of old birds and 
possibly one odd male. In the summer of 1906 both these 
pairs successfully reared two young ones each. Since then, 
with much careful watching, the Kites have steadily in- 
_creased, but, until quite lately, very slowly. I have given 
no report since I last asked for subscriptions in 1910, as no 
doubt the less said about them the better during these years. 
I have visited the area annually, and have been able to make 
the following notes on the habits of these Welsh Kites. 
They are remarkably tame, and almost invariably nest 
close to a farm or cottage. ‘I'he nest is almost always in an 
oak-tree, probably because the hill-sides are largely covered 
with oak woods, the trees being usually of small size. The 
only two exceptions were a nest built in a straggling larch- 
tree in a stackyard close to a house (this nest contained only 
one young) and a nest built in a solitary birch-tree, from 
which three young flew. 
As in all raptorial birds, the cock does the whole of the 
foraging until the young leave the nest, and generally hunts 
far away from the nest—often seven or eight miles. The 
food is very varied, and consists of young rabbits, the 
remains of animals found dead; in spring pieces of lamb, 
generally the head, occasional chickens, goslings, and many 
youug rooks taken from the nest, snakes, adders, and also 
quite small objects, probably worms, for 1 could not see 
what they were, although quite close to the nest. On one 
