352 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



therefore, have commenced their southward passage thus 

 early, in company with their parents, which supposition 

 agrees with the statement of Messrs. Grurney and Fisher, 

 that they arrive " about the end of July." 



The specimen figured by Selby in his " British Orni- 

 thology," commencing the change to winter plumage, is 

 stated by that author to have been killed "on the 

 Norfolk coast, in company with several otjiers, which 

 had nearly acquired the winter garb," and was presented 

 to him by the late Mr. H. Girdlestone, of Yarmouth. 

 This is one of the few instances in which they have been 

 observed in any quantity at one time, but in the autumn 

 of 1853, when an unusual number of specimens were 

 procured on different parts of our coast, four out of five, 

 as Mr. Dowell informs me, were shot in Cley channel by 

 Overton, the gunner, on the 7th of September, one of 

 which was then in full summer plumage. 



The following are a few instances of the occurrence 

 of this species in Norfolk that have come under my 

 notice during the last few years : 



1851. October 2nd. A pair killed at Yarmouth. 



1853. March 19th. One near Haddiscoe. September 

 8th. One in full red plumage, and a young bird of the 

 year, from Salthouse. October 1st. Three specimens 

 from Yarmouth, besides the four before noticed as killed 

 at Blakeney in September of that year. 



1854. October 4th. A pair killed on Breydon, in 

 company with one or two little stints. These are pro- 

 bably the same birds recorded by Mr. Southwell, in the 

 " Naturalist," for January, 1855. A pair in Captain 

 Longe's collection killed at Yarmouth about this date. 



1861. October. One inland, near Swaffham. 



1863. May. A handsome male, in full summer 

 plumage, killed on Breydon, now in Mr. J. E. Harting's 

 collection, together with another male, in a state of 

 change, killed by himself on Breydon, on the last day of 



