Welsh Journals

June 6, 1894. BYE-GONES. 355 seen for several years. We observed several pairs of the birds flying about. The redpoll may be seen in large flocks during the winter months.frequently in company with large flocks of siskins; the favourite food of' both is the seed of the alder tree, and here I may remark how beautifully the wisdom of our Creator is seen in providing food for his creatures. The hard cat¬ kins of the alder trees open just enough to allow the birds to take out the seeds and to keep them in their store houses all winter, but at the same time not enough to let the seeds drop to the ground and be lost to the birds. I have often watched the red polls, siskins,and even the blue tits, marsh tits.and cole tits,clinging to the alder branches, often backs downward.so as to get at the seeds. When hunting about in the coppice we disturbed a tree pipit on its nest; this also feigned lameness, so as to lead us away from its nest. The nest was covered over with frass, and contained six eggs of a reddish colour, have observed several of our birds when dis¬ turbed on their nests to feign lameness. I may be able to send a list of them to the Advertizer soon. After leaving the oak coppice we got to some stunted bushes of blackthorn on some waste ground on the side of the lane. Here we observed a whitethroat rise from the bushes into the air, and after some jerking about, singing all the time, it suddenly dropt into the neighbouring hedge. We soon found its nest in one of the little bushes. The nest is a frail fabric, but seems right enough for its purpose. There were five eggs in it, of a greenish white hue, and spotted with dark spots. A short way from the lane was a ruined cottage, part of the walls only standing. There was the nest of a song thrush in an open hole of the cottage wall last year; here was still the old nest baked hard, but this time we found it occupied by a blackbird. The blackbird simply lined the mud cup with dried grasses, and here it had two eggs. Blackbirds and thrushes are fond of building their nests in ruined buildings. Unfortunately they have no difficulty in finding the ruins of farmhouses and cottages in this part of the country, for too many farm houses are allowed to fall to ruins so as to add the land to larger farms. I have seen the nests of the song thrush and blackbird inside the ruins, even in the bedrooms, and in the same place year after year. We left the lane and explored a rocky wood. The wood was a perfect flower garden of blue bells, or wild hyacinth. There were several plants with white flowers mixed with the blue. There is a hollow oak in this wood, which projects horizontally over a rock. Here in this hollow oak a stock dove breeds regularly year after year.its pair of shiny white eggs being laid on a few bits of twigs. Two years ago a ring dove almost filled the entrance with a nest of twigs on which it laid two eggs. The stock dove had much difficulty to get past the ring dove's nest to get at its own. There is another old tree where the green woodpecker made a hole into the hollow of the tree several years ago. Since then the woodpecker's hole has been occupied, sometimes by the pied flycatcher, sometimes by the starling, and this time by the great tit. I wish the pied flycatcher would keep posses¬ sion, for it is the most interesting of the lot. There is here also a ledge of rock where I have frequently found the nest of the kestrel, its eggs always laid on the bare dry earth in a slight hollow. This time it was without a tenant. We heard the pleas¬ ing notes of the willow warbler in this wood but could not find the nest. A redstart, too, flew from a crevice in one of the rocks, but we could not get at the place, On regaining the lane, we watched a pair of yellow buntings on a dead tree, we searched in vain for their nest on the roadside banks. When we got to the bottom of the valley again we observed a heron, then a cormorant, and the blackheaded gull, all on fishing expeditions. The valley looked beautiful with its winding river, broad green meadows, wooded hillsides, and single trees here and there, many of them being crab-apples and hawthorn or Mayflower in full bloom. Thos. Ruddy, The Gardens, Pale, Corwen. JUNE 6, 1894. NOTES. FIRST WELSH DIRECTORY.—As far as I have been able to gather Messrs Pigot and Co. 's " London and Provincial New Commercial Direc¬ tory " (1822-3), which includes Wales, is the first directory relating to the Principality. It was published at Manchester. G.H. MAY DAY m MODERN TIMES.—It may be interesting to place on permanent record in Bye-Gones an account of the way in which May Day is celebrated in 1894. The following is the programme for the last May Day at Knutsford— the Cranford of Mrs Gaskell's delightful story. A procession was formed at the Town Hall and pro¬ ceeded to the Heath, where the May Queen was crowned. The procession, besides the usual bands of music, &c, included Morris Dancers—Jack in the Green—the Workhouse Children—Represen¬ tatives of Trades—Ally Sloper—Royal Jesters in their State Carriage—Grace Darling—Lord Nelson —Thirty May-Pole Dancers—Gleaners—Villagers —Milk Maids—Jack and Jill — Grannies—Old Woman in a Shoe—Red Riding Hood and Boy Blue—Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday—Puss in Boots—Chinaman—Shepherd and Shepherdess— Bo-Peep — Cinderella—Witch—Gipsy King and Queen—Gipsy Girls—Buttercups and Daisies— Italian Nobles—Italian Girls—Representatives of the various part of the Globe—John Bull, Britan¬ nia, and Canadians—King Canute—Cheshire Champion — Buffalo Bill — Mexican Joe—Cow Boys — The Seasons—Duke of Wellington — Royal May - day Foot Guards — Robin Hood—Maid Marian—Will Scarlet—Foresters— Court Ladies, Courtiers and Heralds—The Royal Falconer—and the May Queen, attended by Court Lady and Pages—Train Bearers and Maids of Honour—Little Children in Conveyances. The following were the proceedings in the Ring:—1. As soon as the Queen, and all are in order, March round the Ring, Band playing—2. Queen upon Throne and all in position—3. Royal May Pole Dance—i. Morris Dance and Grand March—5. Scotch Reel by the Characters—6.