392 FRAGMENTS. 



ONE morning last January, my boy, when leaving home 

 for the Edinburgh Academy, noticed what he called a 

 foreign bird with " a fine top" feeding upon the fruit of 

 the sweetbrier rose, in our garden at Portobello. As the 

 train was about to start, he was unable to warn me of 

 this rarity. At feeding time, next day, the crested 

 foreigner again took possession of his bush, and, not con- 

 tent with satisfying his own hunger, drove away all the 

 natives from their morning meal. Whenever I got my 

 eye on him, I saw that he was a male waxwing, (the 

 Bohemian chatterer,) and, of course, in fine plumage at 

 that time of year. His crest and bearing made him look 

 exactly like a miniature jay. He twisted off two or three 

 large hips, swallowed them whole, rested for a while, then 

 repeated the operation, always clearing the bush of com- 

 pany. After watching his tyrannical conduct, I took the 

 liberty of adding him to my list of stuffed specimens. It 

 was rather curious that he should have taken up his quar- 

 ters in our crescent, surrounded by houses on all sides. 



IN consequence of a summons from Adams of the Bass 

 Rock, last March, I went down, by a morning train, to 

 North Berwick, where he agreed to meet me for a cruise in 

 the firth after the eider-ducks. Each year a few of these 

 Norwegians remain among the rocky islets of the Forth for 

 the purpose of incubation. On the Bass there was only one 

 nest last season ; but they are more apt to hatch on the rocks 



