A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



as a Norfolk bird. It must suffice to refer to 

 the articles in the Birds of Norfolk (ii. i, iii. 

 396), where the history of this grand bird is 

 fully treated. Suffice it to say that the last of 

 the indigenous race was killed in the year 

 1838. Since the latter date, those few which 

 have been met with in Norfolk were passing 

 migrants. 



218. Little Bustard. Otis tetrax, Linn. 



All the little bustards, some seventeen in 

 number, as indeed all that had been met with 

 in England, were winter visitants, and in the 

 corresponding plumage ; but early in May, 

 1898, a beautiful male in full breeding 

 plumage was killed at Kessingland, in the 

 adjoining county of Suffolk. 



219. Stone-Curlew or Norfolk Plover. (Edic- 



nemus scolopax (S. G. Gmelin). 

 This fine species, after having considerably 

 decreased in numbers, is I hope recovering its 

 lost ground and again returning to some of 

 the summer haunts from which it has been 

 missed. 



220. Collared Pratincole. Glareola pratincola, 



Linn. 



Five examples of this rare spring migrant 

 have been met with in Norfolk, all, so far as 

 is known, in May or June. 



Mr. Stevenson includes the cream-coloured 

 courser as having twice been seen in Norfolk, 

 but as the bird has not been produced, we 

 think it safer to omit it, notwithstanding that 

 both of his informants were excellent field 

 naturalists. 



221. Dotterel. Eudromias morinellus (Linn.). 

 Passing 'trips' of the dotterel visit us in 



May, and again on their return journey in 

 September, but in greatly reduced numbers, 

 and mostly confined to the coast. 



222. Caspian or Asiatic Plover. Mgialitis 



asiatica (Pallas). 

 A beautiful male of this addition to the 

 British fauna was shot near Great Yarmouth 

 on May 22nd, 1890, and is now in the Nor- 

 wich Museum. 



223. Ringed Plover or Ring - Dotterel. 



Mgialitis hiaticula (Linn.). 

 This plover is a common resident, receiving 

 additions to its numbers in autumn. It nests 

 in several suitable localities on the coast, also, 

 but in reduced numbers, on some of the open 

 ' brecks ' in the south-west of the county, 

 where it arrives in February and departs in 

 August. Individuals of the small race with 

 the darker mantle have occurred. 



224. Kentish Plover. Mgialitis cantiana 



(Latham). 

 The Kentish plover is a summer visitor, 

 but rather rare. 



225. Golden Plover. Charadrius pluvialis, 



Linn. 



A kw golden plovers arrive in Norfolk very 

 early in the autumn, and they have been met 

 with in the end of June, but it is not till the 

 end of September that they arrive in any 

 numbers. On the return migration, they 

 have been met with as late as the month of 

 May, in full breeding plumage, but have 

 never been known to nest here. 



An example of the Asiatic golden plover 

 (C. fulvus) was seen by Mr. Bidwell in 

 Leadenhall Market, which he was assured had 

 been killed in Norfolk (cf. Ibis, 1875, p. 513). 



226. Grey Plover. Squatarola helvetica {Lmn.). 

 The grey plover is a spring and autumn 



migrant in varying numbers. It is often seen 

 as late as the month of May in perfect breed- 

 ing plumage. 



227. Lapwing. Vanellus vulgaris, Bechstein. 

 The lapwing is still a resident, breeding in 



sadly decreased numbers. Large flocks visit 

 us in winter and early spring. 



228. Turnstone. Strepsilas interpres (Linn.). 

 The turnstone visits us in spring and 



autumn, often making a very late stay in the 

 former season. 



229. Oyster-Catcher. Hamatopus ostralegus, 



Linn. 

 This is quite a common bird on the north- 

 west coast of Norfolk, much less so on the 

 east coast. A few nest with us in one or two 

 favoured localities. 



230. Avocet. Recurvirostra avocetta, Linn. 

 The late Mr. Rising of Horsey, in some 



MS. notes which I was allowed to copy, and 

 which he confirmed viva voce, says : 'In 1 8 14 

 there were many avocets bred at Horsey. I 

 have found more than six nests in a day. 

 They left altogether after 1 824.' This is sup- 

 ported by Lubbock, and I have other con- 

 firmatory evidence. There was also a large 

 colony at Salthouse, and in 1853 ^ marshman 

 assured me that ' years ago ' he took many of 

 their eggs every season. The late Mr. Gur- 

 ney told me that this colony was exterminated 

 in consequence of the demand for avocet's 

 feathers for dressing artificial flies, he thought 

 about the year 1820. At present the avocet 

 is an occasional spring visitor to its old haunts. 



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