The Zoologist— May, 1868. 1193 



wefdt^^rff *"*reUou, Bunting -These birds flock to 

 ZIJ°7 n fa '"f eads - They consume the leaves of herbage 

 now a 8 prell as the seeds, and seem very restless, and to suffer much. 



at 2ht r i n e ?r " l 7 P r " the farm ^ a ^ shot - -ores, and caught 

 a mght m the neks ; but were it not for the shelter of the haggard 

 and the gram they can pilfer, notwithstanding all that are killed in 



ou a ST? *", J" haVG ' bad aCC ° Unt ° f them - Thej can hold 

 out a considerable time, but still die in numbers of the cold 



th™lZe?: dP ° le -~? r T nUmbGrS ° f thGSe birds visit scattering 

 themselves over weedy districts, farmsteads and the marshy lands of 



^B«r dT C0 r tIe f SS ;° cks seek *• brackish land aWthe 



plant ' who^T t0 f d ° n Uie Wart - W ° rth and ° ther barren-land 

 plants, whose seeds are here at all events only eaten by themselves 



KSt^ '"" « ^ ^^ ^ *« ***** 



f™, aJi "t~ We]l SCaUered ab0Ut ' X think X see ™ ™ny males as 

 females. 1 not ,ce none of those large flocks of females one sees in 

 ordinary winters. They seem to suffer greatly. Beneath my window 



ton o7 H S Tt t "^ aS t0 bG UnablG t0 Crack h "»P-«^ half a 



atten t U "T"* ab ° Ut "- 1 fear ^^ thou « h ' 01 ^ *> 



fatten the old sparrows, who make short work of eating it 



bv^et ulT Tf"fT thG SU ° W thG C ° Unt ^ has been boated 

 by the blackheaded gull : they seem starving. Three shot from a flock 



!Z- 1 IT WlHlSt feediHg W6re f ° Und t0 contai » ^e maggots, 



pt s o nh a e d lmag r ° f the i COmm °" ""-ore ^ together" iU.' 



Piece of the decayed sea-weed, amongst which they were found. In 



aster y gales the rotten sea-weed driven up on the beach by some 



tZl f^ " agai " C ?* ied ° Ut t0 S6a ' t0gGther With the --ero US 

 this r J a P ; 0pagated in lt Thoueande of gulls take advantage of 

 h,s Godsend, alighting on the water and feeding in a similar manner 

 to the phalarope. At such times when a large breaking wave 

 advances it ,s a striking sight to see thousands rise as one upon the 

 wing, only to alight again when the breaker has rolled past. 



After a few days of thaw the frost set in again, with more snow, out 

 or the north and east, and lasted about two weeks. By the middle of 

 the second week sky larks were quite exhausted, dying, and to be 

 caught with the hand : if it was not for the cold at night they might 

 hold out well as, like the partridge, they feed greatly on the leaves 

 of grasses and herbs. At no time have I found the partridge better 



SECOND SERIES— VOL. III. 



