88 AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



VERY HUNGRY BIRDS 



The winter of 1890-1 set in early, most severe 

 weather obtaining as early as 26th November, when 

 a heavy snowstorm ushered in a considerable spell of it. 

 Snow-Buntings abounded on the Denes ; Redwings on 

 the 28th were busily hunting for berries on the snow- 

 covered hawthorns; the Blackbirds and Thrushes, 

 hard up for provender, visited backyards in the town 

 itself ; Sparrows burrowed into the stacks ; Starlings 

 gleaned by the margin of the river. On the same 

 date I saw numerous Sanderlings on the beach 

 birds that only visit us in any numbers in severe 

 weather. A great many ducks were in the roadstead. 

 Larks, busy amongst the cabbages in town gardens, 

 were reducing the leaves to a bare skeleton work of 

 ribs. I saw a Hooded Crow chasing a Dunlin on 

 Breydon losing them both in the distance. Another 

 was seen to single out a Dunlin from a flock, chase it 

 down, and in a very few minutes had dismembered 

 and eaten it. Gulls were seen to hunt down wounded 

 Dunlins. It is notorious that when the Hooded 

 Crow is hungry enough to follow the sportsman, he 

 does not interfere with the dead birds, but invariably 

 pursues the wounded. 



