182 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



some extent, and occasionally revisits its old haunts. Mr. F. 

 Abel tells me that old people remember that the Kite used to 

 breed on the Bird Kock, and informs me that one haunted the 

 woods at Peniarth Uchaf from November, 1893, to March, 1894. 

 Mr. F. T. Fielden obtained a fine male bird at Glandovey on 

 August 15th, 1889. When first seen it was mobbed by Crows. 

 He also observed one at the Teifi Pools in April, 1894. A Kite 

 is preserved at Falcondale, and another has been seen over 

 Tregaron Bog. Other localities had better be withheld in the 

 interest of the birds ; but I may add some details to those 

 already given in ' The Zoologist ' as to the nesting of this fast- 

 disappearing species. On March 26th, 1894, a pair were reported 

 to be building in a small wood of thin oaks, where for some years 

 they have persisted in attempting to nest in full view of a neigh- 

 bouring farm. I was not able to visit this locality till May 6th. 

 The nest was soon found, but was empty, the eggs having 

 evidently been taken. A specimen of the lining included a piece 

 of coarse sacking, old newspaper, and tobacco-paper. Near at 

 hand was last year's nest, and at no great distance a third older 

 nest. In the latter were two or three pen-feathers, showing that 

 it had held young Kites, probably in 1892. While this investi- 

 gation was in progress, a Kite passed over the wood. Passing 

 a bold wooded bluff at the junction of three valleys, — a great 

 meeting-place for Kites, Buzzards, Havens, and Carrion Crows, 

 and the scene of constant aerial skirmishing, — we mounted to a 

 wooded gulley, above which a pair of Kites soon appeared. They 

 were silent, but their animated flight, which I had never seen to 

 such advantage, showed their interest in our approach. As they 

 rose or dipped behind the sky-line, the forked tail was now closed, 

 now spread, and inclined to one side or the other with each easy 

 and graceful turn. The nest proved to be one in which we had 

 found young Carrion Crows last year. It had been enlarged and 

 repaired, and by climbing the slope I could look into it, thus 

 ascertaining that it contained one egg. This was no doubt the 

 second attempt at breeding of the pair whose nest we had seen 

 previously. Report spoke of a second pair in a neighbouring 

 valley. A farmer told me that he remembered an instance of the 

 Kite, in general a tree-builder, having nested upon the rocks. 



