SUMMER IN LLEYN. 103 



on the north shore is a little sandy cove called Porth Oer, with 

 Maen Mellt, a light-coloured rock as its name denotes, lying a 

 bit off shore. A lonely spot, and not less lonely looking for a 

 half-ruined shed with high-walled prison-like yard, built years 

 ago to store boat-borne coal in when mining was tried here. A 

 pair of Swallows had found this out, and had a nest with half- 

 fledged young, and what appeared to be the first brood flying 

 about. Maen Mellt appeared to be sometimes wave- washed and 

 useless for birds. In the dreary-looking low earth cliffs of Hell's 

 Mouth, torn and rent by the fierce winter storms, are some 

 bands of sand. Here some Sand-Martins were breeding ; the big 

 fledged young hurriedly retreated from the mouth of a burrow 

 when I looked in. The holes were deep. When sitting to enjoy 

 the remarkable view to be had from the Cromlech at Cefn 

 Amlwch (well figured by Cliffe in ' The Book of North Wales,' 

 1851), I saw a number of Wood-Pigeons coming out of a wood 

 on the hillside and going into the barley and oats near. The 

 view from the beautifully placed Cromlech is one of the best in 

 this part of Wales, and includes Holyhead with the South Stack, 

 the best view of the Eivals (all three heads), and the Bird-Bock 

 backed by them ; on the other side is Snowdon, and, further 

 round, the Merioneth mountains. Cam Madryn, a fine isolated 

 hump, lies just in front. The Peregrine reared young at two 

 nesting-places near Aberdaron this year, and, as usual, nested 

 on Pen Cilan, about one hundred feet above the sea and sixty 

 feet from the top. The Barn Owl bred in a hole in a quarry close 

 to Aberdaron, so far in that the eggs could not be reached with 

 a stick, but Moles and Bats were raked out. On my way home 

 I saw from the train on the Afon Wen meres Coots, Dabchick, 

 Moorhen, four or five Teal and Bedshanks. I have not been 

 able to find out whether the last-named breed there or not. I 

 heard one night at Abersoch what I am pretty sure was the 

 hooting of a Tawny Owl. 



I could not get to Bardsey myself this year. The big cliff 

 looked as if it had been burnt brown by the fine weather. But 

 Mr. T. A. Coward, who was on the island from June 14th to 

 16th, most kindly handed over his notes to me, with permission 

 to make use of them. Mr. Coward saw six birds there which I 

 did not, viz. the Stonechat, Swift, Bedshank, Lesser Black- 



