1194 The Zoologist— May, 1868. 



or fatter than when feeding on grasses during severe frost and snow. 

 I have found partridges frozen dead in very fine condition : this was 

 in a country where they had not the shelter of thick furze-bushes to 

 covey and nestle under. Thrushes even more exhausted, and found 

 dead. Redwings — what remain of them — more exhausted, than the 

 thrushes ; any picked up dead were mere bunches of feathers. 

 Meadow pipits have suffered severely : I believe the body of them 

 have succumbed to the frost. Starliugs suffering intensely, dying in 

 numbers, and to be caught with the hand. On the sunny banks of 

 railways hundreds of dead birds are to be found, particularly starlings, 

 redwings and thrushes. 



Book. — The rooks do not seem to be very badly off, but have quite 

 lost their rookish habits ; they have deserted the suovv-clad fields, 

 feed in stable-yards with sparrows on the oats found amongst horse- 

 dung, frequent public roads for the same purpose, "scavenge" the 

 back yards of houses, becoming petty vultures in their way, frequent 

 the sea-shore in whole rookeries, and last, but by far the most im- 

 portant, hawk incessantly after the poor dying birds, which they kill 

 in numbers. Though this is a regular habit of the rook, I never saw 

 so many birds struck and killed by rooks as I did this year. A fellow 

 shot in the act of killing an old comrade, a starling, was in prime 

 condition : on putting him into a loft he ejected, during the night, 

 several bone-pellets, like those from the crop of a bird of prey. 



Missel Thrush. — No increase of numbers. They seem very tame 

 and to suffer much, feeding principally on what haws and berries they 

 can find. They are usually unapproachable here, except in the 

 breeding season. As long as berries hold out they should do well in 

 the food line, as they are their chief support. 



Waterhen. — Have come down the streams very emaciated. Their 

 large foot-marks are to be met with everywhere, and the birds stalking 

 about in all kind of places. 



Redbreast. — Notwithstanding all that is said about the redbreast 

 being a very delicate and tender bird to cold, 1 find that the severe 

 frost of the past three weeks does not appear to have affected it in any 

 decidedly detrimental manner. I find him at the window and in the 

 garden, eating the crumbs of charity. I find him in the farm- and 

 straw-yards, by the warm dung-hills ; I find him by the wild sea- 

 coast, and I find him in the lone country hedge, the snipe "feeding in 

 the drain beneath. They perhaps do not look so sprightly as usual, 

 are a little more "puffy" in plumage, and their look one might in- 



