196 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



to be compared with some notes of the earliest that I have taken here. 

 I give only March dates :— On March 23rd, 1852 ; 21st, 1854 ; 20th, 

 1856 ; 29th, 1877 ; 24th, 1880; 31st, 1881 ; 30th, 1882 ; 30th, 1885 ; 

 25th, 1886 ; 28th, 1887 ; 28th, 1889 ; 15th, 1890 ; 28th, 1891 ; 27th, 

 1892; 23rd, 1893; 27th, 1894; 30th, 1895 ; 22nd, 1897 ; 26th, 1899 ; 

 and 24th, 1907. These Terns must be very hardy, for cold weather 

 does not appear to affect them after their arrival here. When they 

 arrived on March 27th, 1892, there was four inches of snow on the 

 ground, and the mercury in thermometer indicated six degrees of frost, 

 and yet they were as lively and noisy as if it was the month of May. — 

 Robert Warren (Moy View, Ballina). 



Winter Notes from Ringwood, Hants. — The past winter, notwith- 

 standing its brief severity, was not very productive of rare wildfowl 

 upon the Avon. Wigeon were here rather earlier than usual, and 

 later in the season were in large flocks ; one or more small " skeins " 

 of Wild Geese were seen, and, if an inference is to be drawn from the 

 single bird killed, they belonged to the White-fronted species (Anser 

 albifrons) ; several Gadwall put in an appearance, but in very immature 

 plumage. The Tufted Duck was commoner than usual — this is scarcely 

 to be wondered at, as comparatively recently it has become a nesting 

 species in Hants, but the Shoveler, which undoubtedly sometimes 

 remains to breed, was scarce, and this in face of the fact that birds were 

 seen at intervals throughout the summer ; Teal, although in some con- 

 siderable flocks, were not so abundant as last season, neither were 

 Snipe, although a fair number of Jack- Snipe were accounted for. Such 

 species as Pintail, Goldeneye, Goosander, &c, which formerly visited 

 us in severe weather, were " conspicuous by their absence," and I am 

 glad to say I knew of but one Bittern having been killed, though 

 several were seen in the neighbourhood ; let us hope some of our 

 sportsmen are becoming wiser in sparing this beautiful and interesting 

 bird. We somehow escaped — to a certain extent — the great snow- 

 storms such as visited other localities both east and west, but several 

 migrants were abundant, such as the Eedwing and Brambling, which 

 latter were in countless numbers wherever the " beech-mast" were to 

 be found, and I saw a male in lovely plumage as late as April 18th. 

 The poor Redwings seemed to suffer more quickly than most species 

 whilst the frosts and snow continued, and many were picked up in a 

 famished condition. A friend of mind, whilst " flight "-shooting in the 

 dusk, shot a female Kestrel, scarcely knowing what it was, and on 

 picking it up found it had an apparently starved Redwing securely 

 clasped in one of its claws. Several Merlin were reported, and the 



