﻿12 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  limpet-shells, 
  fragments 
  of 
  crabs, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  place 
  sucked 
  hens' 
  

   eggs. 
  

  

  We 
  saw 
  no 
  Eavens, 
  though 
  Mr. 
  Cummings 
  has 
  seen 
  them 
  in 
  

   former 
  years, 
  and 
  showed 
  us 
  a 
  nest 
  beneath 
  an 
  overhanging 
  rock 
  

   on 
  the 
  cliff 
  wherein 
  he 
  saw 
  three 
  fully-fledged 
  young 
  in 
  mid- 
  

   April, 
  1902. 
  A 
  little 
  further 
  on 
  there 
  was 
  another 
  empty 
  nest, 
  

   a 
  huge 
  structure 
  of 
  thick 
  gorse- 
  stems, 
  placed 
  on 
  an 
  inaccessible 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  cliff. 
  

  

  The 
  Kestrels 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  

   old 
  nests 
  of 
  the 
  Crows. 
  When 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  cliff 
  

   the 
  red 
  eggs 
  are 
  very 
  conspicuous 
  in 
  the 
  big 
  dark 
  nests. 
  We 
  

   found 
  a 
  few 
  Kestrels 
  nesting 
  on 
  the 
  limestone 
  cliffs 
  in 
  the 
  east, 
  

   but 
  the 
  bird 
  was 
  most 
  numerous 
  along 
  the 
  northern 
  seaboard. 
  

  

  The 
  Merlin 
  is 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  coast, 
  nesting 
  among 
  

   the 
  heather 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs 
  ; 
  we 
  found 
  three 
  nests 
  in 
  

   one 
  morning 
  in 
  June, 
  and 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  nest 
  of 
  a 
  fourth 
  pair 
  

   of 
  birds. 
  The 
  shrill 
  kik, 
  kik, 
  kik 
  of 
  a 
  male 
  Merlin 
  which 
  was 
  

   flying 
  about 
  the 
  heather-clad 
  slope 
  caused 
  us 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  

   first 
  nest. 
  Presently 
  we 
  flushed 
  the 
  female, 
  and 
  found 
  five 
  

   newly-hatched 
  young 
  birds 
  in 
  a 
  shallow 
  depression 
  beneath 
  a 
  

   tuft 
  of 
  ling 
  right 
  on 
  the 
  very 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  cliff. 
  The 
  birds 
  were 
  

   not 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  age, 
  and 
  the 
  egg-shells 
  of 
  the 
  youngest 
  lay 
  in 
  

   the 
  nest. 
  The 
  eyes 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  birds 
  were 
  half-opened, 
  but 
  the 
  

   younger 
  ones 
  were 
  still 
  blind. 
  When 
  handled 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  

   five 
  uttered 
  a 
  feeble 
  reproduction 
  of 
  the 
  fierce 
  kik, 
  kik 
  of 
  the 
  

   adults. 
  The 
  second 
  nest 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  situation, 
  at 
  a 
  spot 
  

   where 
  Mr. 
  Cummings 
  saw 
  eggs 
  last 
  year 
  ; 
  it 
  contained 
  three 
  

   rather 
  older 
  young 
  birds 
  and 
  a 
  chipped 
  egg. 
  Here 
  again 
  the 
  

   little 
  ones, 
  whose 
  pink 
  skin 
  showed 
  through 
  their 
  white 
  down, 
  

   whispered 
  kik, 
  kik 
  when 
  handled. 
  The 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  plucked 
  

   Greenfinch 
  lay 
  near 
  this 
  nest, 
  and 
  the 
  little 
  greyish 
  beaks 
  of 
  the 
  

   birds 
  were 
  stained 
  with 
  recent 
  blood. 
  The 
  third 
  nest 
  — 
  a 
  similar 
  

   depression 
  beneath 
  a 
  clump 
  of 
  ling 
  — 
  was 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  a 
  

   well-trodden 
  footpath 
  close 
  to 
  Amlwch 
  ; 
  the 
  clamour 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  

   caused 
  us 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  and 
  discover 
  this 
  nest, 
  which 
  contained 
  a 
  

   single 
  egg, 
  as 
  it 
  had 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  cases 
  where 
  there 
  were 
  young 
  

   birds. 
  A 
  Blackbird, 
  partly 
  denuded 
  of 
  its 
  feathers, 
  lay 
  on 
  the 
  

   cliff-top 
  near 
  Point 
  Lynas, 
  where 
  we 
  saw 
  another 
  Merlin, 
  but 
  

   failed 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  nest. 
  

  

  