FIKLD NOTES. 



BIRDS. 



The Bramble as food for Birds; &c. 1 was much interested 

 to read Mr. Peacock's record of the SisUin. I have never seen 

 this species feed upon the blackberry fruit, but in heavy snow- 

 times 1 have watclied the Bullfinch, peiched in the hedi^e, slowly 

 crackling" in its thick beak the hard, dry seeds that had never 

 developed a succulent exterior. Here the Siskin is the great 

 devourer of the naked red seed that lies ensconced in the woody 

 cone of the alder-tree. It comes in great flocks, which are 

 extremely shy and wary : but if food is abundant, the flock will 

 break up, and linger in small parties. I'ossibly it passes through 

 the district every winter, though not noticed unless it stays to 

 feed, which is generally from mid-November to mid-January, 

 the time when the alder fruit is ripe. On December 9th last, 

 I was close to five birds which were feeding eagerly on the trees 

 by Grasmere Lake. They descended to the ground, apparently 

 to pick the fallen seeds ; for the seeds were then loose in the 

 cones, which had probably been already well shaken by a large 

 flock of birds, of which these were the left-behinds. 



A notice of the Siskin was unfortunately omitted in my list 

 of the Birds of Rydal, July and August, 1902. — ^Makv L. Akmitt, 

 Rydal, Westmorland. 



Siskins in Airedale. — Scarcely a winter passes without a 

 small llock of these birds being noted in this district. For 

 some unaccountable reason, diu-ing the present rather mild 

 winter we have had a greater number, and extending over a 

 longer period, than I have ever known before. 1 have seen 

 them several times during December, January, and in early 

 February, but the greatest flocks occurred on December 22nd 

 and 23rd, when there would be quite sixty to seventy birds. 

 They were always seen near the river (between Shipley and 

 Bingley), generally in company with a few other finches ; and 

 usually investigating the seed cones of the Alder, i^ut on 

 February 4th, with a strong and cold northerly wind blowing, 

 they were away from the trees altogether, and evidently feeding 

 on something quite close to the edge of the water along with 

 Meadow Pipits. 1 afterwards learned that five had been shot 

 out of the large flock in December. On examination 1 found 

 they consisted of two adult males, two adult females, and an 

 immature bird. H.VRRV B. Booth, Spring Royd, Shipley, 

 I'^ebruary 20th, 1906. 



Naturalist. 



