54 The Field Naturalist's Qiiarterly Feb. 



ceptionally cold, E.N.E. winds prevailing, with very little 

 sunshine; the early part of the month was very winterly on 

 the Continent, and on June 18 we had a heavy W.S.W. 

 gale, with subsequent S. and W. winds. On June 23 a 

 Porphyrio was killed at Somerton, and another seen at the 

 same time was subsequently secured near by on July 3 ; one 

 at Barton on July 21, and others at the same place on 

 August 3 and September n. Meanwhile from July (10- 19) 

 we had had another spell of E.N.E. winds, shifting on 20th 

 to the W. A Lesser Grey Shrike had previously been killed 

 in Kent on May 15, a Squacco Heron in Orkney at the end 

 of June, and a Tawny Pipit at Yarmouth early in October. 

 The appearance of other similar forms of Southern bird-life 

 may be found to synchronise with most of the recorded 

 instances of the occurrence of P. smaragdonotus in the 

 British Isles within recent years. 



Likewise in 1898 from July 4 to 13 we had a spell of N.W. 

 and N.E. winds, changing on the 14th to W.S.W., when a 

 Porphyrio was seen at Potter Heigham, and one was shot 

 at Barton a few days afterwards. 



In 1885 one was killed at Horning on October 16, and a 

 Desert Wheatear at Holderness (Yorkshire) on October 17. 

 From 5th to 13th the weather was very stormy, with N. and 

 N.W. wind on the last three days, veering to W. on the 14th. 

 Of only one out of our thirteen county-killed specimens can 

 it be said that any signs of possible previous confinement 

 were noticed, the one shot at Barton on August 3, 1897, 

 having a few feathers abraded ; but this, of course, may have 

 been due to other causes, such as age, natural contact with 

 vegetation, or unnatural contact with shot ! Mr Gurney 

 stated that the example killed at Hickling on September 7 

 might have escaped from Northrepps, near Cromer ; but 

 another bird of the same species was killed at Stalham on 

 November 1 of the same year, which could not thus be 

 accounted for — although it has been suggested that another 

 Barton bird of August 23, 1879, might have escaped from 

 Mr Meade Waldo's place in Kent. 



One poorly developed Allen's Porphyrio is picked up in a 

 helpless condition on our shore, and because of the range of 

 its species approximating more nearly to our latitude it is 



