CORRESPONDENCE. 101 
the timber wasfelled. The next year enormous quantities of the common 
Buck thistle made an appearance, growing to six feet high and so thickly 
together as to be nearly impenetrable. This is the species of thistle so 
epnoxious to farmers. I never remember seeing one in the wood before, 
although they were of not uncommon occurrence in the adjoining fields. 
What could have been the cause of their sudden appearance ?—L. F. 
OrnirnoLocy.—The break-up of the frost revealed the evidence of a 
sad mortality amongst the poor birds. Great numbers were picked up 
dead, especially beneath ivy and hedge bottoms, where they had sought 
shelter. Mr. Arthur Startin writes me that the few days of intense frost 
ending on Christmas Day were very fatal. Mr. Startin says: ‘‘ Since the 
heavy fall of snow the birds have been able to pick up a little food in 
the hedge bottoms, as I have noticed that the dead leaves under my 
fences have been carefully scratched over; during those few severe days 
land unprotected by snow was hard and impervious everywhere. The 
Starlings, being insect feeders, have especially suffered here. I picked up 
myself during those days no less than six of these birds which had fallen 
dead from the ivy on my house. My workmen found several more, and 
also Robins. The breast bones of the poor things too plainly showed the 
cause of death. I had hoped that feeding with the sheep and poultry, 
and also on crumbs, &c., from the house, the birds would have been safe, 
but when I found the true state of the case, too late, I at once gave them 
a little animal food also, and the Rooks discovering this became so confi- 
dent as to come quite close to the kitchen door. [managed to save the life 
of one poor robin—which I found nearly dead—hby placing it in the green- 
house, where it revived and took food, and afterwards, although allowed 
to go out whenever the ventilator was open, it always returned, and has 
now become so tame that it will frequently perch upon my finger and 
take food from my hand. It has even sat upon my beard and picked 
bread from my lips. It is a male bird, and now makes the house ring 
with its song.”—Joun Guuson, Coventry, March 5th. 
OrnitHoLocicaAL Nores rrom Drrpy.—On January 11th a friend of 
mine, who knows the bird perfectly well, saw a Waxwing at Chellaston, 
near here. It was pecking out of a wagon on the railway, but he could 
not see what it was eating.—All winter, up to March 3rd, I had seen very 
few Chaffinches about my garden, but on that day I saw and heard a 
great many, all cocks so far as I could observe. Nearly every tree and 
hedge had its ‘‘ Pied Finch,” as they call them about here, singing away 
with all its might, as if to welcome returning spring.—On the night of 
March 7th, at half-past eleven, I was much surprised to hear a T'hrush 
singing, in a small plantation at a short distance from the house; I 
listened to him for about twenty minutes, and during the whole of that 
time he was singing as loudly and clearly as if it were daytime, perhaps 
rather more in snatches than is usual, but not so much as a Missel 
Thrush. It was a bright moonlight night, with a slight mist, and rather 
cold, in fact the next morning the ground was white with frost, though 
it had been a beautiful day. I have occasionally heard thrushes singing 
on the warm light nights of early summer, but never before so early in 
the year, and I think the circumstance is worthy of record.—Merruin, 
Derby, March 16th. 
OrnitHoLocican Norrs.—I lately procured a female Great Spotted 
Woodpecker, which was killed near here last spring ; it is a very rare bird 
now in this district, and not common anywhere in England. A pure 
white Swallow was shot here about Michaelmas; it had been seen for 
some months. Several peculiar Blackbirds have come under my notice 
lately :—(1) a cream coloured one, shot in the summer; (2) one with 
white on the sides of the head, picked up dead early in January ; (3) a very 
beautiful specimen with several of the quills in the wings and tail pure 
Q 
