﻿ORNITHOLOGICAL 
  NOTES 
  FROM 
  MID-WALES. 
  69 
  

  

  year, 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  hills 
  on 
  Sir 
  Pryse 
  Pryse's 
  

   property 
  last 
  August 
  or 
  September. 
  

  

  March 
  10th. 
  — 
  Three 
  Golden 
  Plover 
  near 
  Plynlimmon, 
  as 
  yet 
  

   showing 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  summer 
  dress. 
  

  

  13th. 
  — 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  wet 
  and 
  rough 
  weather, 
  Eavens 
  only 
  

   began 
  to 
  lay 
  about 
  this 
  date. 
  

  

  %8th. 
  — 
  I 
  hear 
  of 
  Black 
  Game 
  reappearing 
  in 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  

   Cardiganshire 
  locality. 
  They 
  are 
  probably 
  wanderers 
  from 
  the 
  

   adjacent 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  counties 
  of 
  Eadnor, 
  Brecon, 
  and 
  Carmar- 
  

   then, 
  where 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  always 
  maintained 
  itself, 
  though 
  

   latterly 
  in 
  small 
  numbers. 
  

  

  April 
  %nd. 
  — 
  Was 
  introduced 
  to 
  a 
  Welsh 
  haunt 
  of 
  the 
  Wood- 
  

   Lark. 
  A 
  warm 
  southern 
  hillside, 
  diversified 
  by 
  outcrops 
  of 
  grey 
  

   rock 
  amongst 
  the 
  withered 
  bracken, 
  sloped 
  to 
  the 
  Wye. 
  Quite 
  

   half 
  a 
  dozen 
  pairs 
  were 
  breeding 
  here. 
  One 
  could 
  not 
  walk 
  far 
  

   in 
  any 
  direction 
  without 
  hearing 
  the 
  soft 
  flute-like 
  note 
  of 
  the 
  

   male 
  bird 
  as 
  he 
  sang, 
  sometimes 
  hovering 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  but 
  quite 
  

   as 
  frequently 
  from 
  the 
  ground. 
  Other 
  pairs 
  were 
  chasing 
  and 
  

   coquetting. 
  Though 
  the 
  birds 
  seemed 
  tame, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  easy 
  

   approximately 
  to 
  locate 
  each 
  nest, 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  reality 
  very 
  shy 
  

   of 
  giving 
  any 
  indication 
  of 
  its 
  exact 
  whereabouts. 
  The 
  site 
  

   usually 
  selected 
  is 
  under 
  shelter 
  of 
  the 
  dry 
  beaten-down 
  fern. 
  

   So 
  early 
  a 
  breeder 
  is 
  the 
  Wood-Lark 
  that, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  wet 
  

   and 
  cheerless 
  weather 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  spring, 
  a 
  nest 
  contained 
  

   much 
  incubated 
  eggs 
  on 
  March 
  28th 
  ; 
  another 
  bird 
  was 
  beginning 
  

   to 
  sit 
  on 
  April 
  1st. 
  

  

  5th. 
  — 
  A 
  pair 
  of 
  Goldcrests 
  have 
  a 
  nest 
  ready 
  for 
  lining. 
  

  

  6th. 
  — 
  Swallows 
  already 
  crossing 
  the 
  bleak 
  and 
  dreary 
  hill- 
  

   range 
  of 
  the 
  Eppynt. 
  Mr. 
  Forrest 
  saw 
  Bay's 
  Wagtail 
  at 
  

   Rhayader. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  dates 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  fur- 
  

   nished 
  tend 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  very 
  early 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  migrants 
  in 
  the 
  

   Wye 
  Valley, 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  being 
  a 
  main 
  

   artery 
  of 
  distribution. 
  This 
  was 
  exemplified 
  in 
  1893, 
  when 
  I 
  

   saw 
  the 
  Common 
  Bedstart 
  some 
  distance 
  above 
  Bhayader 
  on 
  

   March 
  29th. 
  

  

  11th. 
  — 
  A 
  Ravens' 
  nest 
  near 
  Devil's 
  Bridge 
  contained 
  five 
  

   young 
  birds, 
  which 
  were 
  almost 
  fledged, 
  a 
  little 
  greyish 
  down 
  

   still 
  showing 
  amongst 
  the 
  feathers. 
  Another 
  nest, 
  which 
  I 
  heard 
  

   of 
  as 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  1895, 
  contained 
  much 
  smaller 
  young. 
  

  

  