Mr J. A. Harvie-Brown on the Stockdove. 243 



will merely record in ])assing that, though aljuiidaiit in Ger- 

 many and in a somewhat broad belt across Central Europe, the 

 stockdove is at present rare in Holland. Though this may 

 be the case in Holland at present, I believe that when that 

 country was under a different climate and different vegetable 

 growth, say perhaps in the time of our old Norfolk forest beds, 

 the stockdove was in all probability more abundant there, 

 and that we derived our stock by that natural land-connection. 

 Going back as far as my knowledge and the literature at 

 my conmiand permits, I find that in the south-east coun- 

 ties of England evidence of the species occurring is never 

 wanting. Even as far back as the date of the Privy Purse 

 Accounts of the Lestranges of Hunstanton (viz., 1519-1578), 

 mention was made of them, and I cannot find anywhere that 

 the stockdove appeared in these counties suddenly or unex- 

 pectedly. Therefore, as far as Great Britain is concerned, 

 these south-eastern counties must be taken as the cradle of 

 the race, just as for many years they continued to be its head- 

 quarters, though now, or in recent years, a diminution appears 

 to have taken place at the old centres in accordance with a 

 natural law. My friend, Mr J, H. Gurney, jun., instances 

 this decrease, and considers it as very strongly shown by the 

 small percentage of stockdoves killed amongst wood pigeons. 

 Near Northrepps, as he informs me, the "gamekeeper has 

 taken seventy-two wood pigeons in the last five weeks {in 

 lit. 10th February 1883), and not a stockdove amongst them." 

 ** This," Mr Gurney continues, " is an unanswerable proof of 

 their scarcity." Since then he has informed me of two stock- 

 doves near Northrepps, one of which he captured alive. 

 Whether this scarcity is permanent throughout the year, or is 

 owing to partial emigration in winter from that part or from 

 the whole of that county, I have not as yet ascertained with 

 sufficient certainty. That a very considerable migration does 

 take place during the winter months is, I think, quite certain, 

 as Mr Stevenson has pointed out in his " Birds of Norfolk " 

 {op. cit., vol. i., p. 355), and that author also mentions the 

 scarcity of the species around Norwich. For my own part, 

 I certainly believe that at one time it was not migratory 

 there to the same extent, but that the migratory instinct has 



