64-2 Woodcocks. 



a want of a wind from the south ; which, though adverse to 

 us, would have been fair to a bird steering southwards, as is 

 well known to naturalists. This, and the lightness of the air, 

 rendered its passage across the Channel, in so fine and clear 

 a day, more troublesome than it would have been in a rougher 

 south-west gale. The swallows, in this part of England, had 

 left before the date alluded to ; and on the coast of France 

 I saw none. 



On coming out of Cherbourg, on Wednesday, Sept. 21., 

 when off Fort de Querqueville, about seven miles from land, I 

 picked up a wheelbarrow, floating in the tideway, which, by 

 the marks upon it, had evidently been washed from the Break- 

 water, and had been in the water several days. It was float- 

 ing bottom upwards ; and, on turning it to get it on deck, we 

 found three " John Dorys" caught between the planks. They 

 were, it is true, extremely small ; but their position there 

 showed that small fish are glad to get in (as Paddy said, when 

 he fished under the arch of Dublin Bridge) " out of the wet" 

 and to shelter themselves from the violence of the surface 

 waters. I believe all fish will get under cover if they can. — 

 W. B. Clarke. Stanley Green, Oct. 24. 1836. 



Woodcocks. — An] extraordinary quantity of these birds 

 appear to have migrated to our shores within the last week or 

 two. On Thursday, Mr. Harrington Hudson of Bessingby, 

 and a friend, shot 16 couple; and, on Saturday last, another 

 individual shot 12 couple. {Hull Packet of Friday, quoted in 

 Times, Nov. 10. 1836.) 



Singular Habit of a Gull. — On the artificial pond called 

 Canonmills Loch may be daily seen, during the winter, a soli- 

 tary sea-gull, swimming about apart from the ducks which so 

 numerously frequent the loch. He leaves it every night, and 

 returns again in the morning. For a number of years, he has 

 unerringly, at a certain season taken his flight to other shores, 

 and, with the same regularity as to time, been seen circling 

 around the little loch before alighting to take up his winter 

 sojourn. But it is remarkable that, as if foreseeing the early 

 storm, he has this year returned a week sooner than usual, 

 having made " his first appearance this season " on Tuesday, 

 Oct. 25. (two days before the frost set in). It may be sur- 

 mised that this singular bird would not quit his tribe and 

 native element, and forego the wild pleasure of " brushing 

 the white sail with his white wing," unless he had a reason of 

 his own for it, and the food administered to him by the kindly 

 hand of Dr. Neill is a very substantial one. {Caledonian 

 Mercury, quoted in the Times, Nov. 10. 1836. Communicated 

 by Mr. George Defines to this Magazine.) 



