﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  191 
  

  

  snow-storm, 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  drift, 
  and 
  attended 
  with 
  frost, 
  Wood- 
  

   cocks 
  would 
  find 
  no 
  resting-place 
  for 
  their 
  feet 
  until 
  the 
  shore-line 
  

   is 
  reached. 
  If 
  drifting 
  occurred, 
  however, 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  here 
  

   and 
  there 
  patches 
  of 
  earth 
  and 
  feeding-ground 
  left 
  bare. 
  Captain 
  

   Dunbar-Brander 
  expresses 
  a 
  similar 
  opinion 
  when 
  writing 
  to 
  Dr. 
  

   Gordon 
  in 
  1892 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  They 
  fly 
  on 
  till 
  they 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  sea. 
  If 
  they 
  

   were 
  migrating, 
  the 
  sea 
  would 
  not 
  stop 
  them, 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  only 
  

   shifting 
  their 
  quarters 
  they 
  do 
  stop 
  there, 
  and 
  alight 
  along 
  the 
  

   coast 
  wherever 
  they 
  see 
  a 
  bit 
  of 
  vegetation, 
  a 
  tree, 
  or 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  

   whin-bush. 
  If 
  a 
  Woodcock 
  were 
  leaving 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Spey, 
  I 
  

   have 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  moment 
  he 
  topped 
  the 
  intervening 
  ridge 
  he 
  

   would 
  see 
  the 
  sea 
  — 
  black 
  amidst 
  universal 
  white 
  ; 
  he 
  would 
  see 
  it 
  

   looming 
  dark 
  in 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  snow-covered 
  ground, 
  and 
  he 
  

   would 
  make 
  for 
  it, 
  and, 
  on 
  arriving, 
  would 
  pitch 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  

   of 
  it.' 
  

  

  Albinos 
  are 
  occasionally 
  reported, 
  such 
  as 
  one 
  shot 
  at 
  Dun" 
  

   House, 
  near 
  Banff, 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  Duff 
  House 
  collection, 
  and 
  

   was 
  seen 
  there 
  by 
  us 
  in 
  May 
  1891. 
  

  

  The 
  Woodcock 
  is 
  * 
  not 
  rare 
  ' 
  in 
  winter 
  around 
  Kothiemay, 
  and 
  

   is 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  suitable 
  woods, 
  but 
  during 
  several 
  years 
  of 
  late 
  

   Harvie-Brown 
  has 
  not 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  spring 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  district, 
  

   nor 
  anywhere 
  along 
  the 
  Deveron 
  valley. 
  However, 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  

   principally 
  engaged 
  in 
  fishing, 
  really 
  good 
  opportunities 
  were 
  not 
  

   so 
  numerous 
  as 
  might 
  otherwise 
  have 
  been. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  above 
  remarks 
  were 
  penned, 
  the 
  autumn 
  migration 
  

   of 
  1892 
  has 
  passed. 
  There 
  was 
  scarcely 
  any 
  arrival 
  of 
  Woodcocks 
  

   in 
  October 
  anywhere 
  throughout 
  Scotland, 
  and, 
  more 
  marvellous 
  

   still, 
  there 
  was 
  scarcely 
  any 
  migration 
  visible 
  in 
  November 
  — 
  when 
  

   the 
  principal 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  takes 
  place 
  — 
  but 
  on 
  January 
  2nd 
  

   and 
  3rd, 
  1893, 
  from 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  country, 
  but 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  west, 
  

   we 
  received 
  the 
  tidings 
  of 
  a 
  ' 
  rush 
  ' 
  of 
  Woodcocks. 
  What 
  were 
  

   these 
  birds 
  doing 
  here 
  at 
  that 
  season 
  ? 
  Where 
  did 
  they 
  come 
  

   from 
  1 
  Our 
  own 
  ideas 
  were 
  at 
  first 
  that 
  they 
  formed 
  a 
  late 
  

   arrival 
  of 
  the 
  November 
  flight, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  belief 
  Mr. 
  John 
  

   Cordeaux 
  joined 
  us, 
  but 
  since 
  we 
  have 
  thought 
  more 
  about 
  it, 
  

   we 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  different 
  conclusion, 
  viz., 
  that 
  the 
  November 
  

   'great 
  flight' 
  took 
  place 
  at 
  its 
  usual 
  'appointed' 
  time, 
  but 
  under 
  

   such 
  abnormal 
  conditions 
  of 
  weather, 
  both 
  at 
  home 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   continent 
  of 
  Europe, 
  that 
  we, 
  in 
  our 
  little 
  isle, 
  saw 
  nothing 
  of 
  it, 
  

  

  