Prof, Duns on Infliience of Recent Storm on Bird Life. 69 



blackbirds, thruslies, starlings, and even sparrows. . . . 

 Where is the glory or even the sport of killing small birds. 

 I too have seen poor birds under the hedgerows scarcely able 

 to fly. Where is the glory or sport in killing a half-dead 

 bird ? " 



Perhaps nowhere so well as in the neighbourhood of a city 

 can the effects of a severe winter on bird-life be estimated. 

 If the instances of death from starvation be many in a 

 locality where most things favour the chances of picking 

 up a livelihood, what must the state of matters be in districts 

 where everything is unfavourable ? A great amount of feeding 

 is practised in the outskirts of a city especially ; and to the 

 points where crumbs, etc., are regularly laid down, many 

 different species congregate, some of them, to judge from 

 the state of their plumage, from the country. I have for 

 many years, not during the winter only, but, though to a less 

 extent, in summer also when at home, been in the habit 

 regularly at eight in the morning, of laying down food of 

 different sorts in one spot. In severe weather the company 

 that flocks together is both numerous and various. Some I 

 know have paid a morning visit for several years. There is, 

 for example, a sparrow lame of foot and w^ith a strong tend- 

 ency to albinism, which I first noticed four years ago, wdth 

 one unusually light coloured primary quill, which is now 

 prettily mottled all over with white. Perhaps, I should say, 

 ivas thus marked, because it has not appeared for several 

 days. One morning I counted an assemblage of eight rooks, 

 three jackdaws, seventeen starlings, five blackbirds, three 

 thrushes, more than two dozen of sparrow^s, one chaffinch 

 (male), two large tits {Parus major), two blue tits (P. ca^rio- 

 leics), two hedge-sparrows, and one redbreast. When ten 

 days ago blinks of more genial weather deceived us into the 

 belief that winter had passed, the flock, with the exception 

 of about a third of the sparrows, two blackbirds, a pair of 

 starlings, and the hedge-sparrows, all disappeared till Tues- 

 day of last week, when they again reported themselves in 

 large numbers. On Sabbath last all were again present in 

 even greater force than before. This near approach to so 

 many species has had one great advantage. Aspects of habit, 



