242 THE NATURALIST. 



on the loth, the two former having passed through my hands I had an 

 opportunity of observing the difference between the two sexes ; both speci- 

 mens measured lOf inches from beak to tail ; the male may easily be 

 distinguished from the female, by the band across its chest being white, 

 margins of the feathers faintly tinged with ash grey, in very old birds 

 perfectly white ; this band in the female is dull white inclining to a greyish 

 hue, margins of feathers of a pale brown ; the beak of the male is black, 

 that of the female brown ; both attaining a yellowish hue on the upper 

 edge near the base of the lower mandible. The food of the birds I ex- 

 amined consisted of the hawthorn and blackberries, of which there is an 

 abundant crop this season, which will no doubt prove a most favourable 

 attraction to some of our numerous winter migrants. 



Fringilla MONTANA. — Small flocks of this species have made their 

 appearance^ in this neighbourhood during the last few days. I have 

 noticed several individuals that have been caught by a bird-catcher ; it has 

 not to my knowledge occurred in Norfolk since the winter season of 1861, 

 when a few specimens were then obtained. 



NuciFEAGA CAEYOCATACTES. — I havo to notico the occurrence of a mag- 

 nificent specimen of that very rare visitor, the Nutcracker (Nucifraga 

 earyocatactesj, which was sent to a bird-stuffer's shop in this city for pre- 

 servation on the 10th of October last, it having been shot a day or two 

 previously in the neighbourhood of Burgh, distant seven miles north-east 

 of Yarmouth ; this bird which is so rarely met with in the British Isles 

 deserves, I think, a short description here. It is an adult male, and 

 measures l^ inches from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, and 21 

 inches across its extended wings to the extreme points ; tail five inches ; 

 crown of head, umber brown ; space between the beak and irides, dull 

 white ; the surface of its back, neck, cheeks, lesser wing coverts, and all 

 the under surface of its wings, clove brown ; each feather tipped with an 

 elongated spot of dull white ; wings, greater wing coverts, and upper 

 surface of its tail, blackish brown ; the tail feathers are tipped with dull 

 white, excepting the two centre ones ; under surface of tail feathers, grey- 

 ish brown, tipped with white. Irides, dark hazel ; beak, black, straight, 

 and conical, and two inches in length ; legs, toes, and claws, black ; the 

 centre claw five-eighths of an inch, the hinder three-quarters of an inch 

 in length. Its gizzard contained the remains of a few beetles. 



HiEMATOFUS osTiiALEGUs. — A male occurred on the 27th of last 

 August. A second individual was obtained on the sea-beach near Cromer, 

 on the 2dth of the following month. 



