44 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



been unable to trace this specimen, but it evidently did 

 not, as above stated, find its way into the national collec- 

 tion. Mr. G. E. Gray, of the British museum, has very 

 obligingly searched the records of donations about 

 that period, and can find no reference to it, but, 

 singularly enough, as will be seen by that gentleman's 

 "Catalogue,"* one of the only two examples of the 

 little bustard amongst the " British Birds " in that 

 collection, is entered as killed in Norfolk. This one, a 

 male in full summer plumage, cannot be confounded in 

 any way with Mr. Wood's specimen obtained in the 

 autumn, and is moreover known to have been purchased 

 at the sale of Mr. Bullock's celebrated museum. In an 

 annotated copy of Bullock's sale Catalogue, in the posses- 

 sion of Mr. A. Newton, I find (page 27) the following 

 entry: "Little Bustard, Otis tetrax, (male) extremely 

 rare," to which the former owner of the catalogue (Mr. 

 George Caley) has added in writing, " killed in Britain," 

 with "Dr. Leach" as the name of the buyer, and 10 

 as the price. Dr. Leach, at that time, was keeper of the 

 Zoological department of the British museum, but it will 

 be noticed that in this entry no mention is made as to 

 the precise locality, nor can I ascertain when, or 011 what 

 authority, the bird was first ticketed " Norfolk." From 

 the fact, however, that in every other known instance, 

 this species has occurred on our coast late in autumn 

 or during the winter months (a rule which pertains in 

 other counties as well, according to Yarrell, who adds, 

 "the male has never been killed here in the plumage 

 assumed during the breeding season that I am aware 

 of"), I am inclined to believe that this, after all, is no 

 exception, and, even if " killed in Britain," that Norfolk 

 cannot fairly reckon it amongst its local rarities. 



* "Catalogue of the British Birds in the collection of the 

 British museum." By George Robert Gray, F.L.S., &c., 1863, p. 134. 



