272 WILD NATURE'S WAYS. 



is neither an acorn nor a beech mast left in an 

 Enghsh wood, turnip -tops and other field crops 

 that remain green in the winter months will do 

 equally well. Even if these were all to be buried 

 far beneath a phenomenally heavy fall of snow, 

 the bird would stuff its crop with ivy leaves and 

 berries, and retain its plumpness even on such 

 humble fare, supplemented now and then with 

 maize stolen from some w^ood in wiiich pheasants 

 were fed. 



Woodcock, Hke snipe, feel the hardships of 

 long severe frosts more, perhaps, than any other 

 birds, because of their peculiar method of feeding, 

 and a perfectly wild member of the species has 

 been known to visit a Brighton garden to jostle 

 with thrushes and blackbirds for food doled out 

 by the hand of a kind benefactor. My friend 

 Dr. Mackenzie, of North Uist, says that during 

 frosty weather he has frequently seen members 

 of this species crouching on the high road in the 

 hoofprint of a horse, and has actually driven 

 over them whilst resting in such decli\ities. 



The tempestuous w^eather experienced during 

 the last few days of 1894 prevented sea-birds from 

 getting a sufficient supply of food in the open 

 ocean, and they were thus driven in great numbers 

 into harbours and estuaries in search of all sorts 

 of garbage. As the great frost wiiich followed 

 tightened its grip, black- headed gulls, kittiwakes, 



