300 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



Numerous are the reports on the continued general scarcity of 

 birds from many parts of the country, partly the effect of the 

 severe winter of 1878-79, but also partly owing to a much smaller 

 migration for the reasons above given — viz., the deflection caused 

 by the prevalence of N. W. winds in October and November, 1879. 

 Mr. J. CraAvford, writing from Tongue in January, 1880, says : — ■ 

 "Bird-life in this quarter is on a diminished scale this year. The 

 severity of last winter, and especially during the spring months of 

 1879, must have destroyed many of our feathered tribes. No 

 doubt many left the district and have not returned, but there has 

 been great mortality. Blackbirds, Thrushes, Titmice, Yellow 

 Hammers, and Linnets are all much less numerous, &c. ;" and many 

 similar reports have reached me from both east and west coasts. 



And that this scarcity has continued in many localities, even up 

 to the last days of summer of 1880, is equally certain, as the 

 following notes supplied to me by Mr. Robt. Warren, of Ballina, 

 Ireland, will clearly show. His letter is dated 25th July, 1880: — 



" I am sorry to say that no Golden-crested Wrens have visited 

 this place yet, but the Thrushes and Blackbirds are perceptibly 

 increasing, but only from the broods of the survivors — there having 

 been no addition to their numbers by any migrants that I can 

 make out up to this time. Still, Thrushes are very scarce, but the 

 Blackbirds are just beginning to make an impression on our red 

 currants, and on a neighbour's strawberries. They were not 

 touched last year. Our Robins and Wrens are also increasing 

 fast, especially the latter. As one of your correspondents remarks,* 

 the Robins died from cold, as well as from starvation, for several 

 that we fed quite regularly disappeared before the end of the frost. 

 The Wood Pigeons of this neighbourhood were kept alive by a large 

 field of rape, upon which they fed when the ground was covered by 

 frozen snow. Whenever we have the ground covered by snow and 

 hard frost, the Blackbirds, Thrushes, Skylarks, and Starlings always 

 take to the sea-shore, feeding amongst the sea-weed ; but, strange 

 to say, the northern birds, Redwings and Fieldfares, are the first 

 to die off, then the Starlings, and the latter seem to suffer most 

 from cold of any of our birds of similar size and strength." 



Light frosts at nights succeeded from about the 10th January, 

 varying in different parts of Scotland, with gloomy, hazy, or misty 

 weather during the day. On 12th and 13th, 9° frost registered 



* Vide First Report, antea, p. 152. 



