THE BIRDS OF THE MOY ESTUARY. 321 
summer as the snow thawed: in most cases large accumulations of 
the dung of these animals were lying close to the nests. I see no 
reason to suppose that this animal hybernates, for on the return 
of light, with a temperature at —50° and a deep mantle of snow 
covering the land, the Lemming was to be seen on the surface of 
the snow, close to its syphuncle, blinking at the bright rays of the 
sun, and during the depths of winter there could be no greater 
difficulty in procuring food than in March. Sometimes I came 
across the Lemming at some distance from the hole by which it 
retreats to its galleries under the snow, and it was interesting to 
see the rapidity with which it could disappear, throwing itself 
on its head, its fore-paws worked with great rapidity, rotating 
outwards, and throwing up a cloud of snow-dust some six inches 
high. Later on in the year I have seen a Lemming baffle the 
attempts at capture of a Long-tailed Skua, Stercorarius longi- 
caudatus, by the same tactics. The female brings forth from 
three to five at a birth in June and July, making a comfortable 
nest of grass for their reception. 
(To be continued.) 
—— (I) —— 
THE BIRDS. OF THE MOY ESTUARY 
AND THE SURROUNDING DISTRICT.* 
By RoBerr WaRREN. 
Order NATATORES. 
Wild Swans, Cygnus ferus or Bewickii.—Are often observed 
} during winter on their passage to the mountain loughs of Enris, 
but only occasionally seen on the tidal parts of the Moy. I first 
met with them on the estuary during the severe winter of 1860 ; 
on the 28th December I observed three Swans, amongst a large 
flock of Wigeon, feeding on the Zostera along the Moyview shore. 
It being flood-tide they fed closer to the land as the water deepened, 
and as I watched them from behind a fence I remarked that they 
occasionally uttered a low sweet note. After some time the flowing 
tide brought them within range, and although I severely wounded 
two by the same shot, one having a broken wing, they unfortunately 
got away. My dogs, never having seen such large birds before, 
* Concluded from p. 290. 
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