220



The irruption of waxwings into Norfolk.



was remarked in Belgium, where Mr. Coopman found them “ venant

meme voleter sur les boulevards de la ville de Verviers, tels des

6tourneaux familiers ” (Bev. Fran. d’Orn., 1914, p. 327), and it is

evident that that habit is general. Tameness, however, is a charact¬

eristic of the waxwing in its native country, and I remember, too,

remarking it in some which were in confinement. Their fondness

for drinking is also a trait which will not fail to be noticed ; house

gutters were made use of by the little flock of five or six which

frequented Earlham Road, and the river brink by a pair at Trowse

Bridge.


It is difficult to say how many waxwings really came to Nor¬

folk, but certainly the presence of at least a hundred and eight was

announced. Fortunately most of them were seen (not shot) by

observers who were content to spare them, so very likely a few

wei’e counted twice over. The last announcement of their presence

received from Norfolk was from Mr. Russell Colman. who ascertained

that the survivor of a pair which were located on some hawthorns

near Trowse Bridge at the beginning of March remained there until

April 5th, 1914. Mr. Colman employed a man to watch it, but it

was not seen later than that, and must have either died or migrated.

Many waxwings were also seen in the north of Suffolk, and their

presence registered by Mr. C. B. Ticehurst, Mr. Saunders, and others

who were looking out. Undoubtedly the total for the two counties

exceeded anything since the waxwing winter of 1866-7, when Henry

Stevenson reckoned up a hundred and forty-four specimens (Trans.,

N. & N. Nat. Soc.. Vol. III., p. 326). But even that visitation

cannot have been so great as the big rush in the winter of 1849-50,

the earliest irruption of which any complete record is preserved. This

time the front of the waxwing army has left its mark over the

greater part of Western Europe, certainly from Norway to the South

of France (I heard of some near Hyeres), throughout Belgium and

Holland (see “ Le Gerfaut,” 1914, p. 74), and in many parts of

Germany.


To what cause are we to turn for so universal an irruption ?

In all probability there had been one or more unusually prolific

breeding seasons over some wide area in Western Siberia or Northern

Russia. Another, but less likely, solution of their presence is failure



