8880 Birds. 
stated above, the gale that forced them on this coast was from the south-east. The 
goldcrest, however, appears to reside with us during the winter, and in February last 
I observed them in considerable numbers in the woods and hedges near Forse House, 
—H. Osborne, jun., in the ‘ Field. 
[The following is the notice by Mr. Selby, to which Mr. Osborne refers :—* On the 
24th and 25th of October, 1822, after a very severe gale, with thick fog, from the 
north-east (but veering, towards its conclusion, to the east and south of east), thousands 
of these birds were seen to arrive upon the sea-shore and sand-banks of the Northum- 
brian coast; many of these so fatigued by the length of their flight, or perhaps by the 
unfavourable shift of wind, as to be unable to rise again from the ground, and great 
pumbers were in consequence caught or destroyed. This flight must have been 
immense in quantity, as its extent was traced through the whole length of the coasts 
of Northumberland and Durham. There appears little doubt of this having been a 
migration from the more northern provinces of Europe (probably furnishedby the pine 
furests of Norway, Sweden, &c.), from the circumstance of its arrival being simul- 
taneous with that of large flights of the woodcock, fieldfare and redwing. Although 
I had never before witnessed the actual arrival of the goldcrested regulus, I had long 
felt convinced, from the great and sudden increase of the species during the autumnal 
and hyemal months, that our indigenous birds must be augmented by a body of 
strangers making these shores their winter's resort.”—Z. N.] 
Waxwings near Hull.—Several waxwings have been shot near Hull within the last 
few days.—N .F'. Dobrée ; Hull, November 12, 1863. 
Waawings in Norfolk.—There appears every probability of these beautiful, but 
most irregular winter visitants being plentiful during the next few months: already I 
have seen eight specimens, shot in different parts of the couvty between the 10th and 
14th. They have been very scarce with us since their extraordinary visitation in the 
winter of 1849-50.—H. Stevenson; Norwich, November 14, 1863. 
Waxwing at Wick—On Thursday, the 12th inst., I was informed that a rare and 
beautiful bird had been seen among some trees near Rosebank House, Wick, which, 
from the description, I judged to be the Bohemian waxwing. Not long after I stood 
beneath the tree, on the top branches of which the stranger sat, trimming himself, and 
occasionally ruffling his plumes, and raising and lowering his ample crest. As I sup- 
posed, the bird proved to be a specimen of the Bohemian waxwing: it was exceedingly 
tame and fearless, and did not appear in the least frightened by the many people 
moving about in its vicinity, or the vehicles which noisily rattled past, the tree in which 
it sat being quite close to the road. It is rather curious that the only other specimen 
of the waxwing found in this county was obtained some years ago in the same grounds; 
it is now in Dr. Sinclair’s collection. I did not disturb the bird on Thursday, as I 
fully expected it would soon pay our own place a visit, the temptation held out being 
a mountain-ash, with an abundant crop of rowans; and directions were given that the 
tree should be closely watched for a day or two. On Friday, as anticipated, the 
waxwibg made its appearance, breakfasted heartily off the rowans, and betook itself to 
the branches of a neighbouring elm, where it rested during the day, only occasionally 
leaving the prominent position selected for an attack upon the rowans. It was so far 
fortunate that the presence of the workmen near the tree in question earlier in the 
season had a deterring effect on the host of thrushes, blackbirds, &c., which every 
previous year had robbed it of its fruit, as the waxwing had thus plenty and to spare 
of its favourite food. Pleased with its quarters it remained during the following 
_ 
