34 BIRD LIFE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 



them from the hill country to the lowlands, where they 

 fall victims to the gamekeeper. So widespread are 

 the effects of a few weeks of weather of a type for the 

 like of which our ordinary winters leave the birds 

 unprepared, encouraging them to linger till the un- 

 expected occurs, bringing disaster in its train. But 

 fortunately these spells of relentless cold are few, and 

 it is rare for two such to occur in successive winters, 

 while so soon are the gaps refilled when times of plenty 

 return that the numbers of our resident birds are in 

 no case permanently affected. 



