156 BIRDS OP NORFOLK. 



MS. notes as shot at Oulton, near Lowestoft, in May 

 of that year, whilst the third, said to have been shot 

 at Barnaby to which no date is attached by the Messrs. 

 Paget, is no doubt the adult male which, as I learn 

 from Mr. Joseph Clarke, was shot near Yarmouth in 

 1833, and formed part of Mr. Miller's collection. Dr. 

 Diamond, of Twickenham, the fortunate owner of the 

 Norfolk little egret, also informs me that he has two 

 little bitterns, killed near Bawdeswell, in this county, 

 which were purchased and sent to him by his friend, 

 the late Mr. E. Stoughton, of Sparham, somewhere 

 about the year 1834. 



To Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., I am indebted for the 

 following extract from a letter addressed to Mr. Henry 

 Doubleday, of Epping, by the late Mr. Heysham, and 

 dated Carlisle, September 25th, 1839 : " From a letter 

 which I received a day or two ago from a friend* in 

 Norfolk. * * * I find that a very fine pair 

 of adult little bitterns were killed at or near South 

 Walsham, about two months ago. It is generally 

 supposed that these birds had a nest when captured." 

 Mr. Yarrell also records this pair on Mr. Hey sham's 

 authority ; and, as Mr. Gurney (in whose possession 

 they still remain) informs me, they were killed by the 

 marshman [Samuel Ebbage], who then had the care of 

 South Walsham broad ; the man, I believe, who killed 

 on the same broad the pair of Savi's warblers, in the 

 Norwich Museum. By him they were sold in the flesh 

 to Mr. G. Johnson, then a birdstuffer, in Norwich, and 

 it was from Ebbage' s statement to Johnson that the 

 birds were supposed to have had a nest. A male bird, 

 also, in Mr. J. H. Gurney 's collection, and formerly 

 belonging to the late Mr. Thurtell, of Eaton, was said 



* The friend here alluded to was no doubt Mr. J. H. Gurney, 

 senior, at that time in frequent correspondence with Mr. Heysham. 



