136 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
birds at once began to show the effects of this, those which 
came to be fed having their feathers ruffled, and many of them 
when feeding sitting on the ground with their legs drawn up into 
their feathers, fearing the pain of the frozen ground. A flock of 
eighteen Wild Swans crossed over the river; they did not rest, 
but passed on direct for Killala. I found a Curlew unable to fly, 
but although I crammed him with some raw meat, he was too far 
gone, and died the following day. The Black headed Gulls were 
so starved, that numbers fed with the small birds on the window- 
stools of the houses in the streets of Ballina; and Mr. W. Little, 
of Ireland Cottage, near Ballina, who fed the Gulls regularly 
during the frost, had a flock of about fifty Gulls so tame that 
whenever he appeared outside his door they all flew close round 
him like a flock of tame Pigeons. He fed them on bread, cutting 
up two or three large loaves every day. i 
On December 23rd the frost was not so severe, the mercury 
rising to 40° at 9 a.m., and standing so all day. This rise of 
temperature caused a remarkable change in the appearance of 
many of the birds we were feeding; they became quite smart and 
lively, with their plumage smoothed down and close. But towards 
dusk all this was changed, the frost setting in again, and with 
such intensity that before morning the thermometer registered 
19° of frost, and the poor birds looked worse than ever. 
On December 24th, when going down the river, I met with 
an adult male Shoveller, in most brilliant plumage, and although 
I was anxious to secure him, I did not fire, fearing to injure 
him too much by the heavy charge of my punt-gun. That 
night was exceedingly cold, the thermometer indicating 21° of 
frost, so that on the morning of the 25th there was more ice 
than ever about the shores of the river and estuary; and as 
all the feeding-grounds of the Widgeon were covered, some flocks 
were so starved that wherever they found any small feeding- 
place thawed by the tide they would return to it in a few minutes 
after being fired at, the noise of the gun only scaring them to a 
short distance. 
However, better times were near at hand for all birds, for on 
the night of December 26th a light thaw with snow set in, and 
became so confirmed and rapid the following day, that some grass 
began to appear on the highest parts of the fields, which on the 
28th were sufficiently free from snow for the cattle and sheep to 
