32 BIRD LIFE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 



by the exceptional cold. Thus February, 1895, brought 

 an unprecedented visitation of Little Auks, small 

 diving birds closely related to our razor-bill. The 

 newspapers begin to take note of the effects of the long- 

 continued frost upon animal life, and record how rooks 

 and gulls are so reduced as to seek food in the streets, 

 and how red-grouse, driven from the moors by the 

 weather, have appeared in many lowland localities. 

 Of special interest to Londoners are the gulls which in 

 large numbers frequent the Thames between Black- 

 friars Bridge and Waterloo. 



The hardened powdery snow no longer shows the 

 foot-prints of passing bird and beast "as in its earlier 

 days. So the great frost runs its course, sometimes to 

 break up and give way before a sudden invasion of 

 westerly airs, but often to wear out slowly, yielding 

 almost imperceptibly before the increasing power of the 

 sun, unaided by moisture-laden winds — a hardly-won 

 victory, so nearly is the ground gained each day lost 

 during the succeeding night. But at last the land 

 lies bare once more, faded and colourless as after a 

 long spell of east winds. A few thrushes and other 

 birds straggle back to their usual haunts, and we are 

 able to take stock of our losses. A memento of the 

 past long remains in the whitened stems of trees, from 

 which the rabbits gnawed the bark when the snow cut 

 off other food supplies, leaving the wood bare as high 

 up as they could reach. The willow-branches which 



