114 THE ZOOLOGIST. “7 
breeding birds if left alone. Those which pass down the east coast 
from the Braes of Langwell, Beniedale, and the Ord of Caithness 
form the bulk of the Scandinavian migrants, but these flights of 
Ospreys are—or were, and might be again—subject to slight acces- 
sions from some of our Scottish sites. It must, then, I think, be 
perfectly evident to anyone who knows anything whatever about the 
subject wherein consists the principal cause of the extinction of our 
Ospreys and of some other species as well—2J. A. Harvir-Brown 
(Dunipace, Larbert, Stirlingshire, N.B.). 
Tue following quotation from the Highth Report of the Irish 
Society for the Protection of Birds (p. 6) may be of some interest in 
connection with the above correspondence :—‘ We have looked up 
the records of Ospreys in this country [Ireland], and find that 
within the last twenty years nineteen birds of this species were 
seen, and that twelve of them were killed; Mr. Jourdain has, there- 
fore, some ground for his strictures.”—F. C. R. Jourpatrn (Clifton 
Vicarage, Ashburne, Derbyshire. 
[This discussion has pursued its normal course, and is therefore 
now closed.—ED. | 
Snow and Wildfowl.—The snap of cold, snowy weather which 
distinguished the middle of January was provocative of considerable 
unrest among the various ducks and wildfowl generally off the east 
coast. There was a remarkable movement southward noticed on the 
16th, when all sorts of ducks, including Wigeon, Sheld-Ducks, and 
others, were rushing through Yarmouth roadstead in big crowds. An 
unusual number of Oystercatchers were seen in the neighbourhood, 
while Dunlins came to Breydon in thousands. Being away from 
home on that date, I missed the bulk of the fowl, but next day they 
were still passing, and on the 18th I observed a flock of nearly 
seventy Brent Geese, with flocks of ducks, still moving in that 
direction. The Sheld-Ducks and Mallard that flocked to Breydon 
were tantalisingly out of reach of those who sought them with 
shoulder and punt-gun, the tides being so “ poor,’ owing to the 
easterly wind, that they could not get near them. A few, however, 
were killed. I went through Saturday’s market, which presented an 
unusual appearance, for on every third or fourth stall couples or more 
of duck were exposed for sale, Mallard and Duck being the com- 
monest. Folks from the Broad district assured me that all the 
Broads had been alive with fowl, considerable quantities of Wigeon, 
Mallard, and Teal being noted. The Holkham Geese became some- 
