EXTRACTS PROM A LECTURE GIVEN BY WILLIAM LEAN. 103 
its summit, an almost perpendicular face of bare rock, while the 
ground immediately below the rock slopes away at a very sharp 
angle, but is generally clothed with wood. In a very tall old 
Oak, which grew close to the foot of the precipice, the Kites had 
built their nest. The stem of the tree springing from the very 
foot of the rock, the head was brought close to the face of the 
cliff, and therefore any nest built in the higher branches would 
bo completely overlooked by any one standing on the edge above. 
On finding the nest, my brother saw that the climb to it would 
bo a difficult and, perhaps, not a very safe one. Ho therefore 
wished to bo sure that there was something to climb for, before 
he made the attempt ; and for that purpose he went round by 
another part of the mountain to the top of the cliff, where it 
overhung the tree. From this place he had a complete view of 
the inside of the nest. It was lined, and ready for eggs, or nearly 
so, but appeared to bo empty. 
Day after day my brother went to the same spot, hoping to see 
an egg, but was continually disappointed. The Kites were generally 
sailing round overhead, as if watching their property, but the 
nest always seemed to bo empty. This was puzzling. At last, 
going up very early one morning, and creeping more cautiously 
and noiselessly than ho had usually done to the edge of the cliff, 
ho succeeded in surprising the female bird on the nest. Instantly, 
on his looking over, she darted off, and there was an egg, which, 
of course, my brother supposed the bird had just laid. 
Fearing that if lie missed the present opportunity, some one 
else might discover the nest and be beforehand with him, my 
brother determined, if possible, to secure the one egg at once, 
rather than wait for more to be laid ; with that object, he 
immediately went round to the foot of the precipice, and succeeded 
at last in climbing the tree, and reaching the nest. His surprise 
was great to find that it contained four eggs instead of only one ; 
and lie was, perhaps, still more surprised to find that three of the 
four were carefully covered over with a piece of old black and red 
plaided Welsh flannel, about six or seven inches square. The fourth 
egg, the one ho had seen from the top of the rock, would no doubt 
have been covered also, had not the hen bird been frightened from 
her home in such a hurry. 
The whole matter was now plain enough. The eggs had most 
