1188 The Zoologist— May, 18G8. 



snails and grubs. I have counted about forty worms to a square yard, 

 and it would take hours to clear a few yards of the snails, and this for 

 miles. 



January 1, 1867. The new year has set in with great severity. 

 Wind E.N.E. Heavy fall of snow during night, occasional showers of 

 same throughout the day. Freezing. 



January 1 — 5. Till the evening of the 5th the snow and frost 

 continued. Following are the effects produced by five days frost on 

 our common birds. 



Redwing. — Although arriving in great numbers in the end of 

 October, 1866, about three weeks later than usual, was not to be seen 

 in my district till to-day, the 1st of January. The redwing can be 

 seen arriving from the east and north-east every year along the coast. 

 In all the fields I passed through to-day along the coast they were in 

 thousands, their harsh bark " e-wack " and their soft whistle 

 "phee, e, e" have been ringing in my ears all day. Whole flocks 

 could be seen arriving, crossing the Channel evidently from the 

 English shore. Can it be that they have the instinct, when England 

 is frost and snow-bound, to know that Ireland lies to the west, and that 

 its climate is less severe on account of its humidity ? After a (e\v days, 

 that is when the supply of food from these fields fail, they all disappear, 

 with the exception perhaps of a straggler or so found under the bottom 

 of some sunny hedge in company with blackbirds. Considering the 

 whole country to be equally snow-bound, as it is this year, where do 

 they migrate to agaiu ? Great indeed must be their sufferings when 

 compelled to travel such long distances, on such precarious food, and 

 the flocks must be decimated. 



Fieldfare. — Appeared with the snow, I might say simultaneously. 

 This bird is quite a mystery to me, its abundance in England, and its 

 scarcity in seemingly most favoured spots in Ireland. In my district, 

 rather, indeed, a barren one, but one in which "chance" has thrown 

 me, and even too much for a close investigator of various branches of 

 Nature, a six mile radius from the little historic and aucient town of 

 Dalkey, I consider it little better than an occasional visitant appearing 

 with snow to the day, and remaining only long enough to help to clear 

 away the snails, &c, off* the sea-coast fields. It is true an odd one 

 may be met with in barren pastures in fine weather, but on the whole 

 it is essentially a hard-. veather visitant. During snow and frost it may 

 be seen arriving from the east in countless numbers, so that the birds 

 which we see along the sea-coast fields in hard weather are not driven 



