Tue ZooLocist—A PRIL, 1875. 4405 
disappeared: I have not seen one since the beginning of the month, 
and have never known this to occur here before: I did not see the 
usual large additions to their number in the autumn, and think the 
northerners must have only paid a flying visit later on, and found 
their relations ready to accompany them to more hospitable regions. 
The finches, as usual, are collected in large flocks at the farm- 
houses, where they always obtain plenty of food—but so do the 
cats. The partridges, too, are obliged to throw off their shyness 
and visit the stack-yards: it is difficult to feed these poor birds 
in a continued snow-storm; should it last much longer it will 
certainly kill most of them: I have seen many in a very weak 
state. The other day one of the keepers picked up a woodcock, 
nearly dead from starvation. I never saw the starlings in such a 
pitiable condition; the few that come amongst other birds to my 
window—where I put out hot food four times a day—have their 
wings hanging down bedraggled, as if they have not strength to 
keep them up, and they are sadly bullied by the male blackbirds ; 
only one female of the latter have I seen for some time, and they 
are all male. starlings, too, so I strongly suspect that the females 
of both species have left this place. The male blackbird seems 
capable of great endurance, and, besides being bold and hardy, he 
is a thoroughly selfish fellow. I feed the tits by hanging out lumps 
of suet on the end ofa long hazel stuck into the ground: it not 
only enables us to see them feed, but keeps the food safe from rats 
and other ground vermin, and thus lasts several days. After the 
blackbird has crammed himself as full as a tick he will not allow 
the tits to rest, but keeps charging them, always trying to stick his 
bill into the suet to carry it off; he sometimes succeeds in breaking 
off a piece, and then there is a scramble for it: one of them got up 
to it so far as to remain on the suet a short time, by alighting on 
the top and catching the string with his foot, and keeping his wings 
going at full speed. 
Kingfisher.—On the 28th a kingfisher was shot and brought to 
me. There is only one small stream near here that these birds 
frequent, and I have never seen more than a single bird at any 
time: I think they would breed there if let alone, but it is really 
impossible to make the clowns who shoot them believe it: they 
consider them “furrin birds.” The first intimation of one of these 
birds having been shot generally greets me thus :—“ Ha’ ye hard 
what a grand burd (so and so) shut?—a’ dar say it’s a’ cullers. 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. X. T 
