STONE-CURLEW. 55 



certain decrease in their numbers, is attributable mainly, 

 no doubt, to the altered character of the locahty when 

 those young trees had lost their attractions, and de- 

 veloped into extensive and thickly planted woods. Yet 

 to show the extraordinary attachment of these curlews 

 to theu' accustomed breeding grounds, Mr. Hewitson 

 ("Brit. Bds.' Eggs," 3rd ed.), on the authority of Mr. 

 Alfred Newton, states that " a particular spot where a 

 pair of birds of this species had been accustomed to 

 breed was resorted to by them for that purpose, long 

 after it, and many acres around it, were planted with 

 trees, and had become the centre of a flourishing 

 wood."^ 



Once or twice, within the last four or five years, I 

 have seen small flights of stone-curlews between Sher- 

 ringham and Salthouse, during the months of June and 

 July ; and Mr. T. W. Cremer, of Beeston, near Cromer, 

 informs me that a pair or two have hitherto bred, yearly, 

 on some furze-covered hills at the back of his residence, 

 where the poor of the parish have rights of commonage, 

 but having neither heard nor seen them during the 

 past summer (1867), he is doubtful whether they still 

 continue to do so. About four years ago the Rev. C. 

 Norris, of Briston, had eggs of this plover, taken on 

 some rough ground not far from his house, but states 

 that they have ceased for some time to breed on Briston- 

 common, now about to be enclosed. A young bird was, 

 however, taken in the summer of 1867, in the vicinity 

 of Holt, about three miles from Briston ; and a couple 

 of eggs said to have been found at Cawston, near 

 Aylsham, were shown me in the spring ; and an adult 

 bird and eggs from Witchingham. In August of the 



* Mr. Newton lias since told me that this took place in the 

 warren-covert at Elveden, which extends over more than three 

 hundred acres. 



