[appendix B.] birds of NORFOLK. 393 



attached, for a long time making them their head 

 quarters. I communicated a somewhat detailed account 

 of this visitation to the ^' Zoologist," which will be 

 found in the volume of that journal for 1888 (pp. 442- 

 456), bringing my notes down to the 31st of October of 

 that year, up to which time it seems pi'obable that the 

 large number of between 1100 and 1200 of these birds 

 had been seen in Norfolk, and in addition not fewer than 

 186 killed ; to this account I must refer the reader, 

 and in the brief record which follows I shall confine 

 myself to events subsequent to that date, merely 

 repeating as being a matter of special interest the 

 main facts that bear upon the supposed instances of 

 the breeding of the species in this county. 



Although many reports were circulated as to the 

 finding of nests in various parts of the county, in no 

 instance could they be substantiated by the production of 

 either eggs or young. In one instance, however, it seems 

 highly probable that eggs were really produced. A Mr. 

 Tolman, of South Pickenham, near Swaflfham, in the last 

 week of June, shot what he states to have been a sand 

 grouse, as it rose from its nest containing three eggs ; 

 these he described as " much like those of a water hen 

 in colour, but rather darker, largest in the middle, and 

 tapering off" towards each end." Mr. Tolman broke 

 two of these eggs and gave the third to his landlord, 

 Colonel Applewhaite, who in attempting to blow his 

 specimen, unfortunately broke it also ; he thinks it was 

 within three or four days of hatching. There can be 

 no doubt of the good faith of Colonel Applewhaite and 

 his tenant, Mr. Tolman, but it is most unfortunate that 

 no fragment of the eggs was i)reserved. 



Mr. Alexander Napier, whilst shooting with Lord 

 Leicester and party on the Holkham sand hills, on the 

 13th October, met with a fiock of thirty, all of which went 

 . away with the exception of a single bird, which he tells 

 me he " felt convinced must have had either a nest or 

 young. When first I saw it, it fluttered along in front 

 of me just like a partridge with young. It was so tauie 

 that I called Lord Leicester and the others up to see it, 

 and it did not fly up until we had approached to within 

 three or four yards of it ... it flew away very 

 3b 



