Traamidioiis. 63 



afterwards, on seai'ching the rubbish at the bottom of the same 

 hedge, I found the remains of nine birds, and at a distance of a 

 few yards I got six more. Apparently they had nevei* been able 

 to stir from the sjjot ; and I believe if I had had time to look for 

 them, I could have found the remainder of the flock. I have 

 notes of other similar incidents, but let these suflice to show the 

 iumiense destruction of Redwings and Fieldfares. The Thrushes 

 and Blackbirds did not suffer to the same extent as their con- 

 geners, the two species last named, but this was in great measure 

 due to the unstinted " outdoor relief " which was extended to 

 them in all our gardens. Their depredations amongst the fruit 

 crops were forgotten, and no thought remained save that of pity for 

 their pi-esent sufferings. Even with this help, they in most places 

 gradually disappeared until only a few of the hai'diest remained. 

 Their skeletons were to be found in holes of trees and various other 

 similar places. So small was the stock of breeding birds left that 

 during the nesting season I did not see a dozen nests of both 

 species put together, and I need scarcely tell you what a terrible 

 decrease of their numbers this re|)resents. However, in the third 

 week of July I observed a sudden increase of both Blackbirds 

 and Thrushes. The new comers were all young birds, and this 

 immigration was observed in several other pai-ts of our district. 

 Of the Eobins, I think numbers died more from cold than hunger. 

 I picked up several dead ones ; and the gardener at the Newtown 

 told me that on going to his hothouse stokehole on the morning of 

 the 14th December, after a night in which the thermometer sank 

 to below zero in some places near Dumfries, he found three 

 Robins — two dead and one dying — qitite close to the fire. Per- 

 haps they had crept to the heat, and the sudden change had been 

 too much for them. Amongst the summer warblers some curious 

 changes resulted from the imgenial weather of the summer months. 

 The Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, Chiff Chaff, Wood Warbler, and 

 Willow Wren were all, so far as my observation goes, in aug- 

 mented numbers ; while the (usually) Common Whitethroat was 

 very scarce, and the Garden Warbler seemed to be altogether 

 absent. In the autumn of 1878 the Golden Crested Wren, Great 

 Tits, Blue Tits, Cole Tits, and Longtailed Tits passed through the 

 district in larger numbers than usual — getting out of the way, as 

 the sequel proved, of the coming sevei'e weather, which uneriing 

 instinct, or whatever it may be called, was prompting them to 

 avoid. The first-named left entirely ; but a good number of all 



