WEATHER PROPHETS 
197 
stout, conical bill being obvious distinguishing 
marks ♦ The male shows a uniform rich purple on 
head, back, and breast, shading to dark slaty grey on 
wings and tail, while the female is generally sombre, 
with a washing of olive yellow on the breast and 
upper tail covert* A pair were seen a week ago in the 
Humber valley as attentive and sociable as Robins in 
spring, but most of the visitors are in small, irregular 
flocks, feasting greedily on the Mountain Ash berries, 
of which they eat only the seeds. All who have faith 
in their prophetic insight will look for the unusually 
severe winter foretold by their early southern migra- 
tion, and if the prediction is verified it will be many 
times recalled. 
