HOBBY. BED-FOOTED FALCON. 19 



that the female in this instance should so soon and 

 so often have obtained fresh partners of her own 

 species, since the hobby, as above stated, is by 

 no means numerous throughout the county. In the 

 " Zoologist," p. 248, a hobby is recorded to have 

 occurred at Yarmouth as early as the month of 

 February, and a female was shot near this city, on the 

 20th of March, 1858, and one at Northrepps, on the 25th 

 of March, 1863 ; but these are amongst the very few 

 instances in which I have known this species to deviate 

 from the extreme regularity with which it annually 

 visits us in June, and even one at least of these birds 

 had received such injuries as had most probably com- 

 pelled it to remain here throughout the winter. The 

 young male (No. lO.b) in the museum collection was shot 

 whilst perched on St. John's Maddermarket church, in 

 the very heart of this city. 



FALCO RUFIPES, Beseke. 

 BED-FOOTED FALCON. 



I can find no earlier record of the occurrence of this 

 rare species in Norfolk than the year 1830, when the 

 following note, by the late Mr. Yarrell, appears in 

 London's " Magazine of Natural History" (vol. iv., p. 

 116) : " Three examples of this small falcon were 

 observed together at Horning, Norfolk, in the month 

 of May, 1830, and fortunately all three were obtained. 

 On examination they proved to be an adult male and 

 female, and a young male in immature plumage. A 

 fourth specimen has also been shot in Holkham park." 

 Of the three first I am now able to give somewhat fuller 

 particulars than have yet been published, the gentleman 

 who shot them, Mr. Heath, of Ludham Hall, having 

 kindly answered all my enquiries. They had been 



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