8 



them. Last winter, for instance, quite a long list of interesting species 

 might have been made out by any one who had taken the trouble to observe 

 them. Birds are at such times very easy to perceive, and with the help of 

 a field-glass their species may be readily made out. There is, too, the chance 

 of picking up dead specimens on which to exercise the taxidermist art : I 

 have myself obtained some very good ones thus. I mean good as specimens : 

 I have not been fortunate enough to meet with anything in this way of any 

 great rarity, because I am under the disadvantage of not actually living 

 in the fenland. 



It will perhaps be of interest to my ornithological readers if 1 mention 

 some of the feathered visitants to the the Cambridgeshire fens in the winter 

 time. The list includes the great grey shrike, the waxwing, rock dove, 

 greylag goose (rarely), common shieldrake, wild duck, shoveller, wid- 

 geon, pochard, golden eye {Clangula glaucion), long-tailed duck {Harelda 

 glacialis) common scoter, great northern diver, and red-throated diver. 



Gulls are also among the winter visitants to our fens. Besides the common 

 gull, the black-headed gull, the great skua and Bichardson's skua occur. 

 About four or five years ago several of our rarer sea and aquatic birds were 

 taken in the Cambridgeshire fenland, especially in the fens of Toleham and Bur- 

 meil. They included two red-throated divers {Colymbus septenlrionalis), several 

 shearwaters (Puffinus anglorum), and one skua (Lestris cataractes), besides 

 several guillemots {Tina troile). About the same time a beautiful little Auk 

 [Alca alle) was picked up at Toleham. I mention these just to show that 

 however inclement the weather may be, the ornithologist, at any rate, need 

 not be idle. I will say something about the smaller birds of Cambridge- 

 shire another month • the list is too long to give here now. 



If January be mild the naturalist, whatever may be his favourite " ology," 

 will find plenty to do. Several of the smaller birds commence their song 

 this month, and the work of noting down when first heard furnishes occu- 

 pation for the ornithologist. In southern districts the redbreast may be 

 heard on fine sunny days as early as the beginning of the month, and we 

 may hear the nuthatch chirp almost as early. If we take a country walk 

 about the end of the first week in the year, we shall hear the missel thrush 

 discoursing from the summit of a tall ash or elm tree. A day or two later 

 on we may hear the hedge sparrow. Next the tits begin their merry chirp- 

 ing and at about the same time the song thrush strikes up. A week subse- 

 quently the blackbird begins his cheerful whistling, and the wren will sing 

 from her perch in the hedgerow ; nearer the end of the month the skylark 

 and woodlark commence their songs. 



In January, the rooks are very busy about their nest trees, pulling 



