170 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XII. 



feeding on, the nests and eggs of the common garden 

 spider. The little blue tomtit is of great service 

 to gardeners, as a destroyer of many kinds of insects 

 which would increase to a most injurious extent 

 without the aid of these prying little fellows. 



The thrushes begin to sing, and the corn-bunting 

 and yellow-hammer to utter their spring note. 



In shooting along the bay and the streams, etc., 

 which run into it, I have been astonished this year 

 (1846) by the numbers of a new visitor to this 

 country, the little auk. This bird, though so rarely 

 seen here, appears to have been driven over this 

 season in great flocks ; they are everywhere, and 

 so tame as to be easily knocked down with sticks 

 and stones. 



The widgeon and teal have now nearly acquired 

 their full plumage ; occasionally I bring home a 

 drake-widgeon in his perfect beauty of feather, but 

 very few of them have entirely put off their sober 

 brown. The mallard has for some time been in 

 high beauty, and is most valuable to the dresser 

 of salmon-flies. 



I see the widgeon come regularly now at the ebb 

 of the tide, to feed on the grassy banks which are 

 left uncovered by the receding of the water. They 

 first feed as they swim, round the edges of the 

 small islands and banks ; but when the tide begins 



