382 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. [aPPENDIX A.] 



whole bird ; but she lent a deaf ear : and in that 

 manner, all young Women have treated me (when i ask 

 favours) since i was turned of 40." 



^GIALITIS ASIATICA (Pallas). 

 CASPIAN PLOVER. 



The true home of this beautiful plover appears to be 

 Western Asia, more especially the shores of the Caspian 

 Sea, whence in winter it passes by the Red Sea shore 

 and Abyssinia, to South and South-west Africa. In the 

 western palsearctic region Mr. Dresser speaks of it as 

 a rare straggler, but it has occurred twice in Heligo- 

 land, and strange to say at very opposite periods of the 

 year, namely, a young bird in November, 1850 ; and an 

 adult male, in full summer plumage, on the 19th May, 

 1859. These, until the occurrence of which I am about 

 to speak, are the most westerly examples recorded, but 

 Mr. Harting, in an excellent article " On rare and little 

 known Limicolse," contributed to the '^ Ibis " in 1870 

 (second series, vi., pp. 201 — 213), concludes some re- 

 marks on the distribution and routes of migration of 

 this species with the observation that it is quite possible 

 on some future occasion the bird may occur in England. 

 It was with no little pleasure, therefore, that on the 

 evening of the 23rd of May, 1890, I received from Mr. 

 Lowne, of Yarmouth, the fresh skin of a handsome full 

 plumaged male of this species which he sent for deter- 

 mination, as the bird was unknown to him. 



I subsequently learnt the following particulars with 

 regard to this interesting occurrence. During the 

 morning of the 22nd of May, a date very nearly coin- 

 ciding with the second appearance of the Caspian plover 

 in Heligoland, two strange birds were seen in a large 

 market garden, known as Sacret's piece, bordering on 

 the North Denes, at Yarmouth, which attracted the 

 attention of a man named Samuel Smith, who works 

 the garden for a Mr. Bracey, but he had no oppor- 

 tunity of a shot. About 5.30 p.m., when they were on 



