NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BANKS OF THE TAY. 69 
gigantic body of many thousands, which, after wheeling about in every 
variety of evolution, sometimes in separate columns, sometimes 
united, suddenly, 3 .S it were by given signal, precipitate themselves 
in one vast mass, and are at once buried out of sight in the dense 
growth of reeds; but we are still conscious of their presence from 
the one universal chatter and confusion of voices, which after a while 
subsides, and all are settled for the night. At early dawn, separating 
again into small parties, they make their way back to their several 
homes; and so it goes on, night after night, every autumn after the 
breeding season is over, until the cutting of the reeds a month or 
two later. The Starlings, along with their cousins the Rook and 
the Jackdaw, are all riverside feeders as the season advances, and 
there is a difficulty in obtaining food elsewhere. 
To the winter season I would now draw your attention, but, not 
to detain you too long, I will merely take a cursory view of the 
birds at that time as we again visit the tidal waters. Many of our 
small birds come down now to scrape up a subsistence. The alder 
bushes overhanging the water are visited by numbers of Siskins, 
busily feeding on the catkins, the Lesser Redpoll now and then 
accompanying them, but always on the ground picking up any small 
seeds he can find. Sometimes the Bullfinch may be seen on the 
dockweeds and other seed-covered plants, or we may meet with an 
occasional Greenfinch and Chaffinch, all seed-feeding birds, but 
generally on the ground. The Hedge-Sparrow and the little House- 
Wren move about among the tangled roots and debris left by the 
tide, about which also the Blackbird may be seen routing and grub¬ 
bing, while out on the broader marsh, strange to say, the Robin 
often takes up his abode even among the stranded ice, and seems 
quite to understand what he is about. Here, also, occasionally 
a Thrush may be seen, but only a straggler, the main body having 
left long ago for the sea-coast and other warm places. The Wood¬ 
cock is often down on the softer spots at night, but off again before 
morning. Of our web-footed birds, perhaps one of the handsomest 
and most deserving of notice is the Goosander, which, like the 
Cormorant, is a most expert diver, feeding entirely on fish. Though 
not very abundant, it is to be seen spread over most parts of the Tay, 
both above and below, till late on in the spring; very detrimental to 
the salmon-fry, no doubt. Some even remain to breed on the higher 
lochs. 
While severe weather lasts, and many of the lochs are frozen 
over, we find several strangers on the open waters of the lower Tay 
that we do not meet with at other times. Of these may be mentioned 
the Swan, of which we have three species—the Mute, the Hooper or 
Wild Swan, and the lesser or Bewick’s Swan; the latter very rare. 
