470 MR. A. H. PATTERSON’S NATURAL HISTORY 
fall, and the birds to show signs of restlessness ; the Black- 
headed Gulls had been for two or three days feeding and flying 
around the bridge in the heart of the town, a fairly good sign 
of the approach of a change of some sort. The morning of 
the 23rd dawned with a fiery glow in the west and snow began 
freely to fall. On the 22nd and 23rd flocks of various Wild 
Ducks were seen trooping along the coast making south, one 
bunch apparently of Mallard and Duck numbering quite 500 ; 
and a newspaper paragraph from Aldeburgh mentioned 
“ Huge flocks of Ducks, Wild Geese, Wigeon, and other fowl 
continually passing south to sea-board, indicating a continu- 
ance of the present severe weather.” 
Such sights and reports naturally set every owner of a 
“ hand- ” or punt-gun to work, furbishing up his weapon, 
and laying in stores of ammunition. And Wild Ducks began 
straightway to fall to the guns of several frequenters of 
Breydon. Every amateur puntsman got afloat. I went 
down to Gorleston pier on the 27th, having heard that some 
Wildfowl were seen in the harbour, but saw none. A few 
score small gulls were floating on the ebb tide just off the 
pier, all the larger gulls having gone — somewhere, and few 
indeed were seen while the severity of the weather lasted. 
I noticed a few Thrushes and finches cross over the pier in 
that steady purposeful manner so common to them during 
the ordinary period of migration. On the 28th I crossed the 
North Denes, wading through deep snow, often tumbling into 
heavy drifts, for the undulations of the sand-hills were hardly 
traceable, and finally reached the sea-shore. A few out-flying 
Turdidce and finches passed over me as I floundered through 
the snow ; but when I reached the beach I found Thrushes, 
Redwings, Fieldfares, Linnets, Larks, Pipits, Twites, Gold- 
finches and, indeed, all kinds of small perchers flying due 
south, following the coast-line. Silently, like brown ghosts 
of birds they wearily flew — hour after hour — thousands upon 
thousands ! Bunches of from five to fifty straggled and 
struggled along, odd birds, fagged quite out, alighting now 
and again to rest awhile. They passed almost within arm’s 
length, some of them, and their line of flight lay between the 
