2904 THE ZooLoGist—J ANUARY, 1872. 
to the 28th I made four excursions in the snow to the moors, 
finding plenty of snipes; the best bag being twenty couple, with 
woodcocks, duck, teal, plover, and curlew. The snipes in this 
frost were in splendid condition. 
December 27th. Walked out to the northern point of Tresco, 
and watched the flocks of birds, chiefly redwings and starlings 
passing over. All came from the N.W., against a rather fresh S.E. 
breeze, as if from Ireland to the French coast. I did not observe 
that any settled on the islands and many passed far out at sea. 
In a walk round Tresco shore, besides the usual birds, saw several 
bartailed godwits, and could plainly see the difference of size 
between the males and females, some of which doubled the weight 
of the males. Purple sandpipers were on Lizard Point as usual, 
sitting very tamely on the rocks, and uttering their curious little 
chuckling note as they flew off. Some odd-looking birds, with con- 
spicuous white upper tail-coverts, were in a flock of greenfinches 
and linnets on a stubble-field; they turned out to be bramble- 
finches, and a shy dark bird out of the same flock a reed bunting. 
December 28th. My attention was drawn to a pair of wood larks 
to-day by their shrill* note. I never recollect seeing this species 
in the West before, but a pair are recorded as having been killed 
at Scilly in December, 1859. 
Starlings and redwings were now dying everywhere, and crept 
into holes and corners of windows for shelter: thousands roosted 
on the furze-bushes on the Abbey Hill. I counted over two hundred 
one morning which had fluttered down to a road below to die: the 
starlings were in beautiful plumage, but appeared to have died in 
pain, with open beaks and tails bent downwards, the redwings to 
have succumbed without a struggle. 
December 31st. A fine flock of seventeen swans appeared on 
the last day of the year: when first seen they were in a line, then 
abreast, and after flying round a few times went off to the south in 
a wedge-like form. The frost broke up to-day with a south wind 
and high temperature: a fortnight later the bulbs in the Abbey 
Gardens were some inches high, and Narcissus flowering in 
sheltered places. 
January 3rd, 1871. Saw several missel thrushes on Tresco; they 
had probably arrived with the S.E. wind on the 3lst. I had seen 
none during the severe frost. 
* Query “shrill.” Their note is soft and flute-like,—E, N, 
