VOL. IX.] NOTES. 211 



bird, it is very much darker than a normal British Barn- 

 Owl. The nape, crown and primaries arc rich buff interfused 

 with grey. The gre^^ of the mantle is deeper and more 

 extensive than in a British bird, and the white of the discs 

 about the eyes is dusky, deepening to a brown ring around 

 each eye. The entire under-surface is flushed with buff, 

 extending beneath the wings, and there, as well as upon 

 the breast, are the spots from which this species takes its 

 name. The front of each thigh is washed with buff but 

 unspotted. The mandible is horn-coloured, not white as 

 in our home bird. Although the local taxidermist tells 

 me he has not before handled so dark a bird, 3^et the live 

 locally-killed Barn-Owls, which happened (sad to say) to 

 be in his hands at the moment, j)resented an almost perfect 

 gradation from the " White Owl," through an equalty Avhite 

 fonn with spotted breast, and others with still more spots 

 upon faintly, or more hea\41y-bufEed undersides, to the 

 bird I am recording. II. M. Wallis. 



ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARDS IN NORFOLK. 



The Rough-legged Buzzard [Buteo I. lagopus) recorded by 

 the Duchess of Bedford {antea, p. 187), was evidently not 

 without companions, for during October and November. 

 1915, several have turned up in Norfolk and the north of 

 Suffolk. 



This is no longer a usual event in this part of England, 

 for large birds of prey have certainly become less numerous 

 since the Norwegian Government extended the practice 

 of keeping them down by head-money. But from time 

 to time, when October and November come round, a certain 

 number of Buzzards still cross the sea. 



On the present occasion the first amiouncement of Buzzards 

 was on September 27th, when two were viewed by Mr. J. 

 Vincent migrating in a high wind (north at 11 a.m., force 4, 

 sea rough) at about three miles from the coast. 



The next was on October 14th, reported by JVIr. E. T. 

 Roberts, and betAveen that date and December 7th, twelve 

 more were either seen by observers, or Idlled by gamekeepers. 

 All of them were single birds, and with one exception they 

 had not penetrated far inland. 



We seem to have a visitation of Rough-legged Buzzards 

 to the east of England every ten or twelve years. The last 

 occasions on which they were rather abundant in Norfolk 

 were in 1880, 1891, and 1910. Of these three migrations, 

 that of 1880, if it had been h\l\y recorded, would have been 

 found to be the biggest. J. H. Gurnet. 



