31 
same moans and in the same direction would vory possibly clear up 
that mystery of ornithological mysteries. 
I could add some other instances of information being obtained 
by our “ Register,” were I not fearful of extending this paper to 
an unreasonable length. I must just return, as I promised I would, 
to tlio meteorological observations which I said we entered side by 
side with those relating to birds. Since our “ Register ” was dis- 
continued, neither my brother nor I have ever had time to go 
through it with the object of digesting such information as it 
contains, and bringing out tlie results in a more compressed form ; 
but I am constrained to say that our expectations, tlnit the one set 
of observations would throw any great light on the other, has not 
been fulhlled. Beyond the case ot the Redbreast just mentioned, 
and a lew similar ones, it would seem that birds, though governed 
entirely in all their movements by the seasons as they roll, are 
singidarly independent of the ordinary and sudden changes of the 
weather. Such changes do not appear in any great measure to 
aHect them ; and, this being tlie case, it is not surprising that such 
changes they do not seem to bo able to forecast. However it may 
bo elsewhere, at Elveden (where our “ Register ” was kept) there 
was no bird wo could regard as a weather-prophet — not even 
the Green Woodpecker, to whoso “ warnings ” so much credit is 
popularly given. Hor again, was the advent of casual stragglers 
ordinarily to bo correlated with the occurrence of hea\7- gales of 
wind ; but, when the distance from the sea-coast of the scene of 
our observations is considered, this will appear the less singular, 
for there can be little doubt that tempestuous weather is the chief 
cause wdiich impels so many strange birds to our shores. Such 
birds, however, once driven inland may often contrive to maintain 
themselves for some days, or even weeks, and, occasionally, may 
wander still further from place to place, so that, when they are at 
length noticed by naturalists, it is impossible to connect then- 
appearance with any particular storm. Though I am far from 
saying that meteorological observations should be omitted from any 
ornithological “ Register ” that may be kept, I think it is only 
ill the neighbourhood of the sea-coast that the events recorded 
by such will bo found to influence materially the habits of 
birds. 
We daily entered our observations of every species of bird 
