140 BIKDS 



Ireland, and especially its northern portion, being first 

 visited by the woodcocks which arrive in autumn, appa- 

 rently from the direction of Western Scotland. That 

 country, and not England, lies between Norway and 

 Ireland. I should like to refer to the great spread and 

 increase of the woodcock as a breeding bird in Ireland, 

 where it was not known to nest previous to 1833. 



K. J. USSHER. 



February 6, 1904. 



NOTE. Both parties appear to be right. According to 

 Newton : 



" They arrive on the east coast at night and at that season 

 it is a brutal practice for men to go out in the morning and 

 kill the helpless and almost starving wanderers. . . . Their 

 future destination seems to be greatly influenced by the state 

 of the weather." 



If cold stops their food supply, they press into the south- 

 west, " letting alone Ireland into which the immigrant 

 stream is pretty constant.'* The Irish and English 

 streams, that is to say, are separate. Judging from ring- 

 ing the birds, some of the woodcocks which live with 

 us do not migrate at all, even from county to county. 



THE GREAT BUSTARD IN ENGLAND 



With reference to the article on " The Bustard in 

 Germany " in the Spectator of August 8, it may be of 

 interest to your readers to know that during the hard 

 frost at Christmas 1889-90, several of these birds found 

 their way to England. One passed within thirty yards 

 of me on the sands near Llanelly when I was following 

 up whimbrel with a friend. The great bird came up 

 from behind, and my companion fortunately missed it, 

 having no idea what it was. I held my hand, having a 

 shrewd idea that it was a bustard, but (of course) it was 



