﻿24 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  but 
  we 
  found 
  no 
  breeding 
  colony 
  on 
  this 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  bog 
  or 
  

   llyn 
  ; 
  probably 
  these 
  were 
  non-breeding 
  birds, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  

   if 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  colony 
  in 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  bogs 
  which 
  we 
  visited 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  parts 
  by 
  

   the 
  artificially 
  cut 
  channel 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  main 
  stream 
  

   flows 
  ; 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  marsh 
  was 
  fairly 
  dry, 
  mainly 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  then 
  hot 
  weather, 
  and 
  here 
  stunted 
  ling, 
  coarse 
  grass 
  and 
  

   bog-myrtle 
  grow. 
  Among 
  the 
  ling, 
  right 
  in 
  the 
  open, 
  we 
  found 
  

   a 
  Pheasant 
  on 
  her 
  nest. 
  On 
  this 
  bog, 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  above 
  sea- 
  

   level, 
  at 
  least 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  pairs 
  of 
  Curlews 
  were 
  nesting. 
  All 
  

   the 
  birds 
  were 
  demonstrative 
  ; 
  but 
  one, 
  which 
  certainly 
  had 
  

   young 
  somewhere 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  neighbourhood, 
  flew 
  round 
  

   and 
  over 
  us 
  with 
  angry 
  cries 
  quite 
  different 
  from 
  the 
  usual 
  calls 
  

   of 
  this 
  species. 
  When 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  it 
  gave 
  the 
  bubbling 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  cry, 
  and 
  several 
  times 
  called 
  courlie. 
  We 
  flushed 
  an 
  anxious 
  

   Merlin 
  several 
  times 
  on 
  this 
  bog 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  June 
  4th 
  Mr. 
  Cum- 
  

   mings 
  watched 
  a 
  male 
  Merlin 
  behave 
  in 
  a 
  curious 
  manner. 
  

   Starting 
  from 
  a 
  grassy 
  mound, 
  it 
  flew 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  for 
  

   some 
  twenty 
  yards 
  ; 
  then 
  soaring, 
  but 
  to 
  no 
  great 
  altitude, 
  it 
  

   hovered 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  seconds, 
  calling 
  kek, 
  kek, 
  kek, 
  and 
  returned 
  to 
  

   the 
  same 
  mound 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  had 
  risen. 
  This 
  performance 
  

   was 
  repeated 
  several 
  times 
  without 
  variation, 
  and 
  when 
  Mr. 
  

   Cumming 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  perching 
  spot, 
  he 
  flushed 
  the 
  hen 
  bird 
  

   from 
  a 
  nest 
  which 
  was 
  situated 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  dried-up 
  hollows 
  

   between 
  the 
  tussocks 
  and 
  dead 
  bog-myrtle. 
  The 
  three 
  fresh 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  few 
  bits 
  of 
  dry 
  grass, 
  which 
  served 
  for 
  a 
  nest 
  

   lining, 
  and 
  were 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  covered 
  or 
  sheltered 
  by 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   rounding 
  herbage. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  eastern 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  bog 
  the 
  ground 
  rises 
  somewhat 
  

   abruptly, 
  a 
  thicket 
  of 
  hazel 
  and 
  bramble 
  covering 
  the 
  hillside, 
  

   which 
  is 
  surmounted 
  by 
  an 
  ivy- 
  covered 
  limestone 
  terrace, 
  

   where 
  Stock-Doves 
  and 
  Kestrels 
  nest. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  belt 
  of 
  trees 
  — 
  mostly 
  firs 
  — 
  half 
  encloses 
  the 
  wilder, 
  

   higher 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  bog, 
  a 
  rough 
  waste 
  of 
  huge 
  tussocks 
  of 
  

   sedge 
  and 
  ancient 
  heather, 
  dotted 
  with 
  birches 
  and 
  alders 
  and 
  

   clumps 
  of 
  gorse. 
  In 
  the 
  tree-belt, 
  where 
  many 
  Wood-Pigeons 
  

   and 
  a 
  Magpie 
  were 
  nesting, 
  we 
  watched, 
  on 
  May 
  24th, 
  a 
  Lesser 
  

   Whitethroat. 
  For 
  some 
  time 
  the 
  bird 
  sang 
  in 
  the 
  plantation 
  

   and 
  then 
  crossed 
  the 
  marsh, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  some 
  three 
  hundred 
  

   yards, 
  to 
  the 
  hazel 
  copse 
  on 
  the 
  hillside, 
  where 
  we 
  heard 
  it 
  

  

  