WEATHER PROPHETS 197 



stout, conical bill being obvious distinguishing 

 marks. The male shows a uniform rich purple on 

 head, back, and breast, shading to dark slaty grey on 

 wings and tail, while the female is generally sombre, 

 with a washing of olive yellow on the breast and 

 upper tail covert* A pair were seen a week ago in the 

 Humber valley as attentive and sociable as Robins in 

 spring, but most of the visitors are in small, irregular 

 flocks, feasting greedily on the Mountain Ash berries, 

 of which they eat only the seeds* All who have faith 

 in their prophetic insight will look for the unusually 

 severe winter foretold by their early southern migra- 

 tion, and if the prediction is verified it will be many 

 times recalled. 



