248 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



pupil and giving a very brilliant appearance to the 

 eye ;" and Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., tells me the iris of 

 the bird he saw at Mr. Gunn's (p. 247) was also white. 



PODICIPES AURITUS (Linn^us.)* 

 SCLAVONIAN GEEBE. 



This bird is a regular and common early spring 

 migrant to the Norfolk waters, but is rare in breeding 

 plumage, thus differing from the next species, with which 

 it is sometimes confounded. It is also occasionally met 

 with in the late autumn, but by far the greater number 

 occur in January or February, especially the latter month, 

 so that it is by no means rare in the fully adult winter 

 plumage. t These occurrences are much too numerous to 

 particularise, but several fine examples were shot in Feb- 

 ruary, 1870, and again in 1871 ; as well as on the coast 

 in the winter of 1872-3. Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., gives 

 a singular instance of one being killed with a stone on 

 the 15th February, 1879, as it swam in a horse-pond at 

 Sidestrand, near Cromer, close to the public road, about 

 a quarter of a mile from the sea; and on the 27th 

 January, 1881, Mr. Stevenson records the capture of 

 another in an exhausted state on the rocks at low water 

 between Runton and Beeston, near Cromer. 



The occurrences later than the month of March have 

 been comparatively few. Yarrell mentions a very fine 

 specimen, which was killed near Yarmouth, in May, 

 1826 ; and the Eev. T. Berney, of Braconash, has one in 

 his collection, shot by himself on Breydon, on May 14th, 



* It is now known that the P. cornufus of later writers is the 

 real Colymbus auritus of Linna3us, and, therefore, his specific name 

 has to be used for this species. 



f In a communication to Dresser's " Birds of Europe " (viii., 

 p. 646), Mr. Stevenson gives the proportions of those which have 

 come under his notice in this county as one in October, five in 

 November, one in December, nine in January, twelve in February, 

 and four in March. 



