108 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



flocks had spread themselves over a large tract of country. In the 

 north of England they were observed in the month of November, 

 and I heard of as many as fifty-seven specimens having been 

 killed in a single week in one county alone. On the eastern side 

 of Scotland examples occurred sparingly in nearly all the counties, 

 but in Aberdeenshire and Morayshire, they were seen in flocks of 

 forty or fifty birds. In the western counties, on the other hand, 

 I could not learn of a single instance of the bird's capture: but in 

 midland districts small parties were observed. One of these stray 

 flocks, consisting of five birds, made its appearance near Lanark, 

 in a garden where there were several rowan trees, on the berries 

 of which the birds fed, until by their tameness they attracted the 

 attention of a bird-stufFer, who managed to shoot them all after 

 they had been some days in the neighbourhood. The arrival of 

 these erratic birds in such numbers in the year referred to at once 

 suggested a winter of unusual severity, a surmise which was after- 

 wards abundantly verified, though at the time of their first ap- 

 pearance it was difficult to believe there could be such a thing in 

 prospect, the weather being then remarkably mild.* 



In addition to this occurrence of the waxwing, there were 

 numerous records from the eastern counties of England of an 

 extraordinary migration of the grey phalarope to those shores 

 another species usually associated with hard winters. Both had 

 come to us even weeks before the storm which their presence pre- 

 dicted, and immense numbers fell victims to the rage for collecting, 

 now unhappily rife among naturalists. In all likelihood they had 

 come from the north-east, and had either already experienced the 

 winters of hard frost and heavy snow which followed in their 

 train, or instinctively quitted their native districts on its approach. 

 The waxwing and phalarope are supposed to breed extensively in 

 Siberia and the north of Asia generally. These great flocks, 

 therefore, had probably travelled along the northern extremity of 

 Lapland and Norway, and down the western side of the latter 

 country, extending their flight across the North Sea to the shores 

 of Britain a long journey, indeed, but perilous to the poor birds 

 only at its close. I question the fairness of killing these beautiful 

 creatures, coining to us, as they do, for shelter. 



* Severe winters are not necessarily connected with the bird's appearance; 

 that just passed 1869-70 memorable for heavy snow-storms, was not 

 heralded, so far as I can learn, by the appearance of a single waxwing. 



