Birds. 8879 
Wanting—proof of its being the attack of a young bird on an old one; besides, the 
result appears to have been that both birds perished ; however, it is another instance 
of the well-known pugnacity of the species. There are other passages that might be 
remarked on, but I shall refer to but one more ; however it is one that convinces me 
that I am vot the only person “ but little acquainted with the habits of the robin.” It 
is this: “I believe it suffers less from cold and hunger than any of our sinall birds.” 
Than the house sparrow? Never do I remember seeing one that had perished from 
cold, but dead robins I have found frequently ; nor do I know of any bird that suffers 
more in severe frosty weaather, unless it be the thrush ; but the latter has not the 
“cottage kitchen to take refuge in.’—H. Hadfield ; Ventnor, Isle of Wight, Decem- 
ber 4, 1863. 
The Blackcap feeding on the Berries of the Mountain Ash.—A pair of these birds 
were obtained in 1860 feeding on the berries of the mountain ash, which they swallowed 
whole with perfect ease. The male was shot on the 16th of October, and the female on 
the 28th of the same month. In October of the following year (1861) a few specimens 
were again observed, and last year a male remained with us till the 8th of November. 
On the 27th of September of the present year a female made her appearance, and in 
a day or two was joined by a male and a second female ; but owing to some workmen 
being employed near the tree which supplied them with food, they soon disappeared. 
This, then, establishes the fact, before doubted, that the blackeap warbler is a regular 
summer visitant in Caithness, and that even in this northern climate it prolongs its 
stay until the winter months. The statement as to its feeding upon rowans was also 
doubted, and I am not aware the fact has been recorded in any one of the numerous 
works devoted to British Ornithology. It is, however, indisputable; and since the | 
question was first mooted I have observed that the robin, a bird of the same or even 
less size, occasionally treats himself to a diet of rowans, despatching them, too, with 
as much ease as the blackcap, or as the thrush or blackbird.—H. Osborne, jun., Wick, 
November 21, 1863. 
[I have been favoured with a sight of the pair first alluded to by the excellent 
observer, whose record I extract from the ‘ Field’ newspaper, and they were certainly 
blackeaps, male and female—Edward Newman]. 
Great Arrival of Goldencrested Regulus at Wick.—During the prevalence of a severe 
gale from south-east, which commenced on the 9th of October, and lasted some days, 
extraordinary numbers of that beautiful little bird, the goldencrested regulus, appeared 
suddenly at various places on the east coast of Caithness, forced apparently in this 
direction, from their usual line of flight while migrating, by the fury of the tempest. 
The tiny creatures were much fatigued on their first appearance, and great numbers 
were picked up in an exhausted or dying condition. On the evening of Sunday, 
October 11th, numerous specimens were captured by boys in the streets of Wick, the 
buffetings of the gale rendering them quite helpless ; and on the same day they were 
also obtained among the furze bushes at Noss Head, so that the flight must have been 
of very considerable magnitude. For some days after their arrival there was scarcely 
a garden in or near Wick and Pulteneytown left unvisited by a company of goldcrests, 
who flitted over every bush and tree in search of insect food. With the return of fair 
weather, however, the flock quickly disappeared. There can be little doubt that this 
flock was brought over here under circumstances similar to that which drove the immense 
flight on the east coast of Northumberland in 1822, as recorded by Mr. Selby, although, 
as mentioned by that author, the wind was from the north-east at the time; while, as. 
