DECEMBEE. 



Large flocks of golden plovers both on the sands and in 

 the fields, and on the hills. They appear to rest on the heather 

 during the high tides, when the sands and banks are covered 

 in the bay. As the tide recedes, they return to the sands. I, 

 however, consider both these birds and the peewits as almost, 

 if not wholly, night feeding birds. They evidently feed all night 

 in the fields (where there is not much frost), and on the shore 

 when the earth is frozen. 



December 3rd. After two days of snow, a fresh north-west 

 wind, which blows away and melts all the snow near the sea. 

 The common wild ducks during the day were flying to and fro 

 from the sea to the stubble fields. These birds are always very 

 anxious to take to the fields on the firsl disappearance of 

 frost and snow ; as, during the time that the ground is hard with 

 frost or covered with snow, they cannot feed on the corn, 

 the grass, or the worms and insects on which they feed. 



A singular incident happened to me to-day in shooting at 

 a mallard. The bird flew away apparently not injured. I 

 happened to be watching him, and as he just went out of sight 

 over a hill at the distance of, at least, a quarter of a mile, I fancied 

 that I saw the bird show the white feather below his wing, as if 

 he had tumbled down in his flight. On going up to the place, I 

 found him on the ground with his wing broken close to the body. 

 The bird had, at first, flown with the wind, and then flew 

 well enough, but after battling against the wind for a few 

 hundred yards, the bone (which must have been injured by 

 the shot) broke in two. 



