﻿NOTES 
  ON 
  THE 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  ANGLE 
  SEA. 
  23 
  

  

  versely 
  barred 
  with 
  black, 
  the 
  under 
  parts 
  chestnut. 
  The 
  irides 
  

   were 
  dark 
  brown, 
  the 
  legs 
  and 
  feet 
  lead-blue; 
  the 
  bill, 
  shorter 
  than 
  

   the 
  head, 
  was 
  straight 
  and 
  broad 
  throughout 
  its 
  whole 
  length, 
  and 
  

   shaded 
  from 
  dark- 
  lead 
  to 
  almost 
  black. 
  The 
  little 
  ones 
  crouched, 
  

   their 
  velvety 
  black 
  and 
  rich 
  browns 
  reminding 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  colours 
  

   of 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  some 
  bornbycid 
  moths, 
  when 
  once 
  we 
  had 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  them, 
  and 
  made 
  no 
  attempt 
  to 
  escape 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  

   been 
  handled 
  and 
  again 
  placed 
  upon 
  the 
  ground. 
  We 
  left 
  them 
  

   for 
  some 
  time, 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  old 
  bird 
  to 
  rejoin 
  them 
  ; 
  but 
  though 
  

   it 
  alighted 
  near, 
  and 
  possibly 
  actually 
  went 
  to 
  them, 
  they 
  had 
  

   not 
  moved 
  when 
  we 
  returned 
  to 
  look 
  at 
  them 
  again. 
  

  

  The 
  bogs 
  are 
  the 
  strongholds 
  of 
  the 
  Meadow-Pipit 
  in 
  Angle- 
  

   sea, 
  though 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  generally 
  distributed 
  ; 
  the 
  largest 
  bog, 
  

   Cors-y-Bol, 
  is 
  populated 
  by 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  Meadow-Pipits, 
  

   Sky-Larks, 
  and 
  Eeed-Buntings. 
  The 
  last-named 
  bird 
  is 
  only 
  

   present 
  in 
  the 
  bogs 
  and 
  marshes, 
  but 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  it 
  

   abounds. 
  On 
  May 
  27th 
  we 
  found 
  three 
  nests 
  on 
  Cors-y-Bol, 
  

   within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  one 
  another. 
  From 
  one 
  of 
  these, 
  which 
  

   contained 
  one 
  egg 
  and 
  three 
  young 
  birds 
  just 
  hatched, 
  the 
  male 
  

   bird 
  flew 
  out 
  and 
  fluttered 
  along 
  the 
  ground 
  with 
  trailing 
  wings 
  

   and 
  tail 
  expanded. 
  

  

  Moorhens 
  breed 
  on 
  the 
  bogs 
  ; 
  we 
  found 
  them 
  with 
  young 
  

   in 
  the 
  ditches. 
  Here 
  also 
  Mallards 
  were 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  flappers, 
  

   squattering 
  along 
  the 
  water, 
  while 
  their 
  young 
  dived 
  and 
  hid 
  

   in 
  the 
  aquatic 
  vegetation. 
  One 
  duck, 
  when 
  her 
  brood 
  had 
  dis- 
  

   appeared, 
  rose 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  circled 
  round 
  us 
  in 
  short 
  

   sluggish 
  flights, 
  only 
  just 
  clearing 
  the 
  ground 
  as 
  she 
  flew. 
  She 
  

   frequently 
  alighted, 
  pitching 
  heavily 
  as 
  if 
  wounded, 
  and 
  then, 
  

   with 
  outspread 
  wings 
  and 
  tail, 
  and 
  quacking 
  loudly, 
  dragged 
  

   herself 
  along 
  the 
  ground 
  like 
  a 
  maimed 
  bird 
  pursued 
  by 
  some 
  

   enemy. 
  A 
  duck 
  Teal 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  bog 
  rose 
  from 
  a 
  very 
  wet 
  spot 
  

   — 
  a 
  deep 
  morass 
  grown 
  with 
  buck-bean 
  and 
  rushes 
  where 
  

   without 
  doubt 
  her 
  young 
  were 
  hiding 
  — 
  and 
  behaved 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  

   manner. 
  In 
  both 
  cases 
  the 
  flight 
  was 
  noticeably 
  sluggish. 
  

   About 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  this 
  place 
  we 
  had 
  flushed 
  a 
  drake 
  Teal. 
  Lap- 
  

   wings 
  had 
  commenced 
  to 
  pack 
  by 
  May 
  31st, 
  on 
  which 
  date 
  we 
  

   saw 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  score 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  bogs 
  ; 
  we 
  saw 
  

   another 
  party 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later. 
  On 
  this 
  

   bog 
  there 
  were 
  several 
  Black-headed 
  Gulls 
  in 
  mature 
  plumage, 
  

  

  