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wild ducks are nearly all driven away from Spynie, and only a 

 number of unhappy looking coots remain. 



February 22nd. Deep snow, but beginning to thaw. 



Thrushes and blackbirds singing in the morning. 



February 25th. Still snow on the ground. Thaw part of 

 the day, but freezing towards evening. The wood -pigeons, 

 notwithstanding, keep in good order filling their crops with 

 turnip leaves, never having any of the roots in them, or even 

 of the rib of the leaf. The water-ouzels sing a great deal in 

 the burn. 



Badgers seem to walk about to considerable distances in the 

 snow looking for food. Near the burn the tracks of otters drag- 

 ging themselves along the snow and rolling like a dog. 



March llth. Very fine. Two swans at the Loch of Spynie, 

 and a great many ducks of all kinds. Redshanks and black- 

 headed gulls have come in great numbers. 



March 13th. Fine. A great many teal, etc. in Spynie, 

 and two swans, apparently Bewick swans, judging from their 

 comparatively short necks and round bodies, which distinguish 

 them from the hooper. 



March 1 6th. Ground covered with snow. In some of the 

 fields were great numbers of large round lumps of snow from the 

 size of a man's head to much larger, having the appearance of 

 snowballs rolled by boys, but unlike anything naturally formed 

 that. I ever saw before. I could only attribute them to the 

 extreme dryness of the snow allowing itself to be drifted in this 

 manner. The ground had the appearance of being covered with 

 white boulders. 



Eight swans at the Loch. Dr Manson sends word to me 

 that a fox has been killing some of his lambs, a very unusual 

 thing for a lowland fox to do. 



March 19th. Larks in great flocks. 



March 20th. Still frost and snow on the ground. The 

 wood -pigeons begin to coo a great deal in the woods. Dozens of 

 them cooing at once. 



The roebuck, whose horns are now soft, lie out on the open 



