THE RING DOVE. 133 



shire in the autumn and early winter months ^ from the 

 northern parts of Europe, and finding food and shelter here, 

 doubtless remain in some cases, and help to swell the ranks 

 of our native birds. As an instance of this I may mention 

 that, whilst many came to feed on the beech nuts in the 

 woods at Paxton in October and November 1873, these, 

 about the middle of the latter month, were augmented by 

 vast numbers which passed up the valley of the Tweed from 

 the direction of the sea at Berwick, arriving in the mornings 

 and not being observed to return eastwards in the evenings. 

 For about a fortnight during the same autumn hundreds 

 continued to fly daily from the east over the Well Mire 

 Wood, on the southern bank of the Whitadder, near the 

 village of Paxton, and although many of them were shot, 

 the reports of the guns did not seem to alter the line of 

 flight taken by their successors.^ Mr. John Wilson, late 

 of Edington Mains, has informed me that thousands used 

 to visit that farm in autumn, and that fishermen about 

 Coldingham have occasionally seen immense numbers 

 passing over the sea towards the Berwickshire coast. 



The Cushat is strong and rapid on the wing, and when 

 on a long journey flies high in the air. If suddenly 

 frightened when passing overhead it sometimes makes a 

 peculiar whistling sound with its wings, and this appears 

 to have the effect of communicating the alarm to any 

 others which may be in the neighbourhood. During the 



1 Between the 21st of October and the end of November 1884 there was an 

 immense imnugration of Cushats covering the East Coast between Berwick and 

 Yarmouth. On the 29th of November 1885 a vast rush flying south-west in 

 countless thousands was seen at the Isle of May. Tlie noise they made was like 

 a railway train. — Reports on the Migration of Birds, 1879-85. 



2 Another great migration of Cushats was observed at Paxton in the autumn of 

 1887. On the 26th of November in that year Mr. Comptou-Lundie of Spital and 

 I sliot fifty-seven Pigeons in the course of a few hours as they passed over our 

 heads towards the west. We were concealed behind a screen of fir brandies set up 

 against the west wall of the Wester Park at Paxton House, and we placed the dead 

 birds on the grass in front of our ambusli to act as decoys. 



