WHITE SPOONBILL. 189 



May 20th. About this date a single individual was 

 observed for some days on Hickling broad, and was 

 probably the bird killed on the 10th of June, at the 

 same place, which came into the possession of Mr. 

 F. Norgate, of Sparham, and proved to be a young 

 male. 



1867. Three or four were seen in the spring about 

 Burgh-flats, but none shot that I could ascertain. 



1868. May 4th. Two males shot at Yarmouth; 

 one weighed four pounds, and was darker in plumage 

 than the other, not having perfected its moult, but it 

 had the longer crest of the two. The other, now in my 

 collection, weighed three pounds and a-half. In both 

 the eyes were carmine-red, and they had a yellowish tinge 

 across the breast. In one the stomach was empty with 

 the exception of soft silty matter, the other was filled 

 with the remains of shrimps, and scales of small fish 

 and sand. A much older bird in Mr. Overend's collec- 

 tion, at Yarmouth, was killed on Breydon about the 

 same time. 



From an examination of the above list of specimens 

 it will be seen that the spoonbill is chiefly a spring 

 and summer visitant to this county, since of those, of 

 which the date of occurrence is known, only eight have 

 appeared towards the latter part of the year, two in 

 August, one in September, three in October, and two 

 in November.* The remainder in February (one), 

 March and April (two), May (eighteen), June (ten), and 

 one in July, whilst the large flock at Yarmouth, in 

 1774, is said to have arrived in April. The majority 



* By Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear this species is said to have 

 appeared near Yarmouth, "generally during the winter season;" 

 and Colonel Montagu speaks of the occasional appearance of the 

 spoonbill in winter, in the south of England, and in his supple- 

 ment records the occurrence of a young bird, near King's Bridge, 

 South Devon, in November, 1804. 



