248 BRITISH BIRDS. ‘VOL, XI. 
be gathered by some extracts from the journal of Mr. C. G. 
Doughty of Gorleston, who patrols the sands with a view to 
such discoveries. 
Mr. Dovucuty’s JOURNAL :— 
January 21st. Four Blackbirds, one Woodcock, one Kitti- 
wake, one Black-headed Gull, one Razorbill. 
» 24th. One Coot, one Guillemot, two Herring-Gulls, 
six Kittiwakes. 
25th. One Redwing, one Water Rail, two Wild 
Ducks. 
» 2th. One Coot. 
» 29th. One Scoter, one Guillemot, one Common Gull. 
February 3rd. Two Black-headed Gulls. 
10th. An Eared Grebe, this was alive, but allowed 
itself to be captured. 
» 12th. One Common Gull, 
» 14th. One Red-throated Diver. 
» 16th. One Velvet Scoter, one Grey Plover; one 
Sanderling. 
March 6th. Two Conger Eels, (one weighed 28 lbs). 
My local list cf dead birds sacrificed during this terrible 
frost runs up. with Mr. Doughty’s assistance, to forty-two 
species. In that catalogue are included little birds like the 
Tree-Creeper, Goldcrest and Robin, as well as the Blue, Marsh- 
and ‘Coal-Titmice, which Mr. Wallis thinks did not suffer in 
Cornwal] (British Birds, X, p. 268). As was to be expected, 
this great mortality among bird-life (caused by starvation, 
and not, as a portion of the public believed, by the cold), 
was in due course followed by its natural sequel—a marked 
diminution of our favourites and fewer nests in the ensuing 
summer. Mr. B. B. Riviere, who has had a great deal of 
experience, particularly noticed the absence of nests of 
Long-tailed Tits and Golden-crested Wrens. That such 
very small species requiring, no doubt, hourly feeding, should 
be decimated, when there was a total absence of minute 
insect forms (Diptera, Hymenoptera, etc.) for them, is only 
natural. 
As already stated, not many inland species received a 
harder blow than the Blackbird, one result of which was that 
when summer came round again, gardeners were saved the 
trouble of netting their strawberries. Later on, the quantity — 
of unpicked fruit upon thorns and other berry-bearing trees - 
such as Viburnum opulus, was very marked also, testifying 
to the sad lack of the birds which should have eaten them. 

