ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM MID-WALES. 77 



grown ana untenanted. The Common Buzzard, though the fate 

 of the Kite inevitably awaits it, is still fairly numerous, and 

 eleven pairs were found breeding within a radius of perhaps five 

 miles from our headquarters. Two presumably young and in- 

 experienced birds had built about twenty feet from the ground in 

 a small sycamore, one of the few trees surrounding a ruined 

 sheep-fold upon the open moor. 



On April 30th newly-arrived Pied Flycatchers, all of them 

 males, were singing amongst the birches. A pair of Ravens, in 

 the Nant Brenig, had three fully-fledged young ones just ready 

 to leave the nest. A pair of White Wagtails upon Borth golf- 

 links on May 13th were evidently on passage. There were three 

 or four Turnstones on the strand, and an Oystercatcher's nest 

 contained four eggs ; I have never previously found more than 

 three. On the 16th many Wheatears at Clarach were still on 

 migration. A Wood Wren's nest was almost entirely composed 

 of fir-needles. A Whinchat, singing with strange unfamiliar 

 variations, so that I at first took it to be a Sedge Warbler, 

 recalled the suggestions which have lately been made as to the 

 power of mimicry in this species. 



On June 4th I visited a colony of Lesser Terns near Towyn, 

 and found the birds in about their usual numbers. Walking over 

 the moors from the Teifi Pools to Cwm Ystwyth, on June 8th, I 

 met with one pair of Golden Plover and several Dunlin, which 

 were evidently breeding. The note of the latter bird, in the 

 nesting season, is like the shrill rattle of a pea-whistle. Capt. 

 Cosens informed me that a pair of Turtle-Doves bred in his 

 grounds at Bronpadarn. On June 20th 1 heard the Manx 

 Shearwater's note about 11.30 p.m. 



During a few days spent m Snowdonia at the end of June 

 several pairs of Choughs were seen. In company with Ravens, 

 they frequent the clilfs of Clogwyn du r Arddu. In the Nant 

 Francon a nest of young Ring-Ouzels in the loose stone wall by 

 the roadside was most conspicuous. Revisiting the same neigh- 

 bourhood three months later, I found the Wheatear and Ring- 

 Ouzel, on Sept. 23rd, still lingering near the summit of Carnedd 

 Llewelyn. Four Ravens frequented the Glyders. Stonechats 

 were numerous at Pen-y-gwryd, where they came into the hotel 

 garden. A pair of Buzzards, the only ones met with, were seen 



