NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA. 



II. 



FEBRUARY 1884. 



A FEW notes collected in the neighbourhood of Vienna 

 during the winter may not perhaps be wholly uninteresting 

 to some of my readers. 



I must begin by saying that the unusually mild weather 

 which lasted throughout the winter of 1883-84 had a great 

 influence on the movements of the birds. The Rough-legged 

 Buzzard, for example, which generally only visits this part 

 of the country on its migrations in November, the end of 

 February, and the beginning of March, remained here this 

 year in large numbers. I also saw Harriers, especially old 

 males, all through the winter. The more northern visitors, 

 however, appeared in but small strength, for I found very 

 few Long-tailed Ducks (ffarelda glacialis) on the Danube, 

 where they usually swarm, and they have now quite dis- 

 appeared. The Goosanders, too, were not numerous, while 

 the other ducks, which generally come to the river in 

 myriads when the smaller streams are quite frozen, only 

 showed themselves in any numbers during the few colder 

 days. The Grey Herons, on the other hand, most of which 

 generally wander southwards, all remained; and the Jack- 

 daws did the same, for one never failed to see them at their 

 habitual summer resorts. I also frequently observed a pair 

 of Grey Wagtails (Motacilla sulphurea) in a garden in the 

 middle of Vienna, and at sunset these mountain birds might 



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