﻿8 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  relieve 
  their 
  stony 
  slopes. 
  The 
  lower 
  ruynyddau, 
  if 
  we 
  may 
  

   use 
  this 
  name, 
  are 
  in 
  late 
  spring 
  gorgeous 
  with 
  gorse 
  ; 
  this 
  year 
  

   the 
  bloom 
  was 
  finer 
  than 
  usual, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  the 
  rocky 
  

   outcrops 
  were 
  arrayed 
  in 
  cloth 
  of 
  gold 
  ; 
  the 
  air 
  was 
  heavy 
  with 
  

   the 
  sickly 
  scent 
  of 
  the 
  flowers, 
  the 
  richness 
  of 
  colour 
  was 
  in- 
  

   describable. 
  Linnets 
  and 
  Stonechats 
  abound 
  amongst 
  the 
  gorse, 
  

   and 
  at 
  night 
  the 
  churring 
  of 
  innumerable 
  Nightjars 
  proves 
  how 
  

   well 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  diurnally 
  quiescent 
  bird 
  are 
  

   these 
  rough 
  uncultivated 
  tracts. 
  Where 
  the 
  Stonechat 
  is 
  so 
  

   abundant 
  one 
  cannot 
  but 
  be 
  struck 
  with 
  the 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  

   of 
  the 
  white 
  wing-patch 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  bird. 
  Song-Thrushes 
  and 
  

   Blackbirds 
  are 
  plentiful 
  on 
  the 
  rough 
  ground, 
  as, 
  indeed, 
  they 
  

   are 
  everywhere 
  else 
  ; 
  the 
  Blackbird 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   birds 
  in 
  Anglesea, 
  being 
  common 
  alike 
  on 
  cliffs, 
  mynyddau, 
  

   cultivated 
  land, 
  and 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  bogs. 
  

  

  The 
  broad 
  flat 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  sluggish 
  streams 
  are 
  frequently 
  

   extensive 
  tracts 
  of 
  bog, 
  and 
  though 
  attempts 
  have 
  in 
  all 
  cases 
  

   been 
  made 
  to 
  drain 
  them, 
  they 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  defied 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  

   the 
  reclaiming 
  agriculturist. 
  Between 
  the 
  deep 
  straight-cut 
  

   ditches, 
  which 
  intersect 
  the 
  swamps, 
  are 
  great 
  beds 
  of 
  bog- 
  

   myrtle, 
  cotton-grass, 
  stunted 
  ling, 
  and 
  other 
  marsh 
  and 
  moor- 
  

   land 
  plants 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  wettest 
  spots, 
  buckbean, 
  marsh 
  cinquefoil, 
  

   butterwort, 
  and 
  sundews 
  grow 
  luxuriantly, 
  while 
  water-lilies 
  and 
  

   yellow 
  iris 
  flourish 
  in 
  the 
  pools. 
  In 
  one 
  bog 
  we 
  came 
  across 
  fine 
  

   plants 
  of 
  Osmimda 
  regalis, 
  and 
  in 
  another 
  a 
  large 
  patch 
  of 
  the 
  

   rare 
  marsh 
  fern, 
  Aspidium 
  thelypteris. 
  

  

  Meadow-Pipits, 
  Beed-Buntings, 
  and 
  Snipe 
  are 
  characteristic 
  

   birds 
  of 
  the 
  bogs. 
  The 
  llyns, 
  or 
  small 
  lakes, 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  

   many 
  places, 
  have, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  bare 
  stony 
  banks, 
  where 
  Sand- 
  

   pipers 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  streams 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  

   of 
  this 
  species. 
  The 
  aptly 
  named 
  Afon 
  Goch, 
  which 
  flows 
  from 
  

   Parys 
  Mountain, 
  were 
  it 
  undefiled, 
  would 
  be 
  an 
  ideal 
  habitat 
  for 
  

   the 
  Sandpiper; 
  we 
  did, 
  indeed, 
  see 
  one 
  bird 
  upon 
  its 
  banks, 
  

   though 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  understand 
  what 
  it 
  could 
  find 
  to 
  feed 
  upon 
  

   in 
  the 
  polluted 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  limestone 
  cliffs 
  between 
  Bedwharf 
  Bay 
  and 
  Lligwy 
  were, 
  

   towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May, 
  wonderfully 
  rich 
  in 
  colour 
  ; 
  in 
  places 
  

   the 
  upper 
  slopes 
  were 
  sheeted 
  with 
  Scilla 
  vema, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  grass 
  

   from 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  seemed 
  lost 
  beneath 
  a 
  pale 
  blue 
  haze. 
  

  

  