256 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



and Durham. There appears little doubt of this having 

 been a migration from the more northern provinces of Europe 

 (probably furnished by the pine forests of Norway, Sweden, 

 &c.), from the circumstance of its arrival being simultaneous 

 with that of large flights of the woodcock, fieldfare, and 

 redwing. Although I had never before witnessed the actual 

 arrival of the gold-crested regulus, I had long felt convinced, 

 from the great and sudden increase of the species, during 

 the autumnal and hyemal months that our indigenous birds 

 must be augmented by a body of strangers making these 

 shores their winter's resort. — A more extraordinary circumstance 

 in the economy of this bird took place during the same 

 winter, viz., the total disappearance of the whole, natives as 

 well as strangers, throughout Scotland and the north of 

 England. This happened towards the conclusion of the 

 month of January 1823, and a few days previous to the long- 

 continued snow-storm so severely felt throughout the northern 

 counties of England, and along the eastern parts of Scotland. 

 The range and point of this migration are unascertained, but 

 it must probably have been a distant one, from the feet of 

 not a single pair having returned to breed, or pass the 

 succeeding summer, in the situations they had been known 

 always to frequent. Nor was one of the species to be seen 

 till the following October, or about the usual time, as I have 

 above stated, for our receiving an annual accession of strang- 

 ers to our own indigenous birds.'' 



The "^^^ Willow Wren is a summer visitor to the 



wmow British Isles. He arrives about the end of March 



^'®°" and leaves in the month of September. He is 

 an active little bird, an expert fly-catcher and an agreeable 

 singer. His coat is of a greenish yellow-brown, his waistcoat 

 is white tinged with yellow. 



^]jg The Common Wren is indigenous to Great 



Common Britain. It builds its nest under the shelter of 



'"^•'S"- thatched eaves, in out-of-the-way and unusual 



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