NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 47 



has refused to be subjected to the keen frost. The hills are 

 almost black, the wind of Tuesday last having blown the snow 

 away. From Lochmaddy the same paper reports that the storm 

 had been very severe. In a number of places groups of sheep were 

 buried under the snow, and men had to be kept constantly among 

 the stock to prevent loss by smothering. Groups of bernicle geese, 

 woodcock, grouse, and snipe, were seen busily picking up a scanty 

 morsel, only a few yards from the houses, and at the same time a 

 beautiful white swan, and a number of Norwegian* and other wild 

 ducks could be observed feeding quietly in the bay within 60 yards 

 of the houses. 



Sheep-stock on the west coast farms between Gairloch and 

 Ardnamurchan have suffered severely. Evergreen leaves shrivelled 

 up in many places, as they were never known to do in former 

 years. When the frost was most severe sea-gulls were missed from 

 a large portion of the coast. Curlews, crows, thrushes, blackbirds, 

 robins, and various other species lived chiefly on the shore, striving 

 to obtain some food in the ebb. The curlews seemed most success- 

 ful, wading and driving their bills deep into the sand, evidently 

 getting a good supply of worms in the process. A few crows were 

 seen dead, and small birds were so weak that many of them made 

 no effort to escape when approached. The ice on Loch Queich was 

 27 inches thick. — [Scotsman, 27. i. 81.] 



Another great snow-storm occurred on February 7th, causing 

 railway blocks, and is recorded as the fiercest storm of the winter. 

 A rapid wind and rain-thaw on the same afternoon cleared off 

 nearly all the snow. Ice on ponds 15 inches thick, and hardly 

 affected by a week's thaw [8. ii. 81]. Bitterly cold X.E. winds, 

 followed with a few fine bright days ; thaw in the sun and frost 

 in the shade. Successive falls of snow, and in Stirlingshire 

 ground again white on 27th. Curling on Larbert pond on 3rd 

 March. Fierce gale and snowstorm on 4th March, accounts of 

 which occupy many columns in papers. - This continued all night, 

 and next day resulted in the deepest and most general drifts and 

 railway blocks of this memorable winter. Hill-farmers find matters 

 very serious, and all out-door labour at a standstill. 



A short interval of fine weather, warm and genial, lasted till 

 March 21st. The Caithness block only cleared on 18th. Heavy 



* "Wigeon. 



