The Birds of Pembrokeshtre. 23 
ated one or two of them for our collection. ‘During the 
severe winter in January, 1867,” writes Mr. Dix, “ several Chaf- 
finches were frozen to death. On the night of the r4th the 
thermometer fell to five degrees below zero; the next morning 
four of these birds were brought to me quite dead and stiff,— 
all of them had their heads under their wings as though they 
died asleep, —doubtless starvation had something to do with it, 
but I am persuaded the cold killed them. The 3oth October 
following, I saw the largest flock I ever noticed. There must 
have been five or six hundred birds ; they were in a small field 
close to the mountains ; I watched them for some time without 
seeing a single bird of any other species.” 
BRAMBLING, /ingilla montifringilla.—A winter visitor ; rare and 
irregular. We had so many beech trees in our grounds, the 
mast of which is a favourite food with this species, that every 
winter we were on the watch for it, confidently expecting its 
appearance. But we never once saw it, and it seems to be a 
rare bird in Pembrokeshire—at least, in the north of the county. 
It is not included by Mr. Dix. Mr. Tracy says that it is “ very 
common some winters, feeding in flocks with Chaffinches in 
farmyards, and in woods on the beech mast.” Sir Hugh Owen 
has obtained specimens at Goodwick, and the Rev. Clennell 
Wilkinson at Castle Martin; and Mr. H. Mathias has also met 
with it. We have also a note of its occurrence near Tenby. 
LINNET, Zixota cannabina.—A common resident. This, one of 
our favourites among the smaller birds, because of its general 
cheerfulness and bright little song, is very numerous with us, as 
might well be expected in a county so abounding in furze. 
We used to detect a number of nests in all our brakes, and in 
the autumn and winter never failed to observe large flocks in the 
stubbles and turnip fields of “ Brown” Linnets, as they are then 
aptly called, because of their uniform grey brown winter 
plumage. 
