526 AMPELIDJ:. 



Waxwing killed in January, 1767; and, in 1776, Pennant 

 asserted that the species came about Edinburgh annually in 

 February a statement which was perhaps hardly an exag- 

 geration. But it is impossible to fix the precise time of this 

 bird's visitations, as Latham, for instance, states that one 

 was killed at Eltham in the winter of 1781, without indi- 

 cating whether it was in the winter of 1780-81 or that of 

 1781-82. Many other writers have followed the same vague 

 practice. Thus Patrick, as quoted by Mr. Gray, says that a 

 vast flock appeared near Hamilton in the winter of 1782. 

 Hayes mentions a pair shot at Hanwell in December, 1783, 

 the male of which lived for some time in the menagery at 

 Osterly. Tunstall, according to a note by Latham in the 

 last edition of Pennant's * British Zoology,' records many 

 flocks seen in 1787 all over the county of York. Walcott 

 and Pennant give 1788 for the occurrence of other specimens, 

 and Lewin in 1790 said it was frequently shot in England. 

 Beilby, who wrote the letterpress of Bewick's ' Land 

 Birds,' says that several were taken in Northumberland and 

 Durham in 1790 and 1791. Bewick himself says the same 

 of 1803, in which last year Graves mentions that a number 

 were also shot near Camberwell. According to Selby large 

 flocks were dispersed throughout the kingdom in 1810, a few 

 more came under his inspection in February, 1822, and seve- 

 ral were observed in 182&, while in 1827 Waxwings again 

 visited this island. In 1829 an example was killed, says 

 Couch, at Lostwithiel. But there is no need to recount 

 special cases, it being here sufficient to say that hardly a 

 year passes without some birds finding their way hither, and 

 that the winters of 1830-31, 1834-35, 1849-50 and 1866-67 

 were remarkable for the numerous occurrences of this species. 

 To judge from recent experience the flocks first commonly 

 reach our shores towards the end of November ;* but whether 



* The immigration sometimes sets in earlier, and Mr. Joseph Clarke communi- 

 cated to former editions of this work the fact that in August, 1835, he killed a 

 male out of a flock at Saffron-Walden. The latest date of occurrence is recorded 

 by Mr. Stevenson, who says that in 1853 he saw a specimen which had been killed 

 at North Walsham in the first week of May. 



