38 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



migratory species which remain, in rare instances, to 

 breed in Norfolk. Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear thus 

 speak of its breeding in the channel fen at Barton : — 

 ^' We have more than once thought ourselves in danger 

 of being attacked by it, when we had approached the 

 place where undoubtedly its nest was concealed;" and 

 Mr. Lubbock says, "The Hen Harrier always breeds 

 here in a few instances, although not a bird of frequent 

 occurrence. Many years back I have known of its 

 breeding at Surlingham." For the last eight or ten 

 years, however, I have known of but one instance 

 of its nesting even in such localities as the marsh 

 harrier and Montagu's still frequent, and although 

 adult females (the ringtail harrier of some authors) and 

 immature specimens occur nearly every year, these are 

 most probably spring and autumn migrants, from their 

 appearance invariably between October and March, and 

 for the most part near the coast. The adult male, in its 

 delicate blueish grey plumage, has been long considered a 

 rarity in this county ; the only one that I had heard of 

 for some years prior to 1859 (now in my collection), was 

 shot at Eanworth in November of that year, and a few days 

 later an adult female, most probably the companion bird, 

 was taken close by at Horning and being only winged 

 was sent to Mr. J. H. Gurney, who still has it alive in 

 his aviary. In the following winter, however, amongst 

 other rarities that visited this county during the almost 

 imprecedented frosts of December and January, 1860-61, 

 were two fine old males, killed, one at Hickling on 

 the 12th January, the other at Hargham about the 

 same time. The latter bird, although beautiftdly blue 

 and white, still retained a small patch of brown on 

 the nape of the neck, with a few brown feathers on the 

 back. An unusual number of immature birds, and some 

 old females, were also killed in different parts of the 

 county in 1862. The only recent instance of its nesting 



