403 



Saturday last [July 7th] another of my friends was so 

 lucky as to get five eggs* of the same species." From 

 further enquiries at the time, and communications re- 

 ceived from Mr. R. TJpcher, Mr. Crowfoot, and Mr, 

 Frere, of Yarmouth, I was enabled to gather the 

 following additional particulars. It appears that the 

 four eggs mentioned by Mr. Overend as purchased on 

 the 9th of June, were taken on that day, at Potter- 

 Heigham, or rather on Heigham Sounds, near Hickling, 

 by a labouring man, who sold them to a lad named 

 John Smith, at Yarmouth, who had been in the habit 

 of collecting eggs for Mr. Crowfoot. The former was 

 of course ignorant as to what they were, but as soon 

 as their rarity was known, it was elicited from the man 

 who took them that he had seen the parent birds near 

 the nest, which was placed in a parcel of reeds growing 

 in water, about a foot in depth. It was very small 

 and loosely made, composed of dry rushes. A few days 

 later Smith paid a visit to the spot with the hope of 

 securing the nest, but found that the reeds had been 

 cut and the nest spoiled, and no doubt the man who 

 discovered it, was employed in reed cutting at the time. 

 The five eggs procured on the 7th of July were also 

 taken in the same locality, but of these, unfortunately 

 three were broken. What became of the last nest I 

 cannot say, but the two were most likely constructed by 

 the same pair of birds. 



taken on a nest, which had seven eggs. Specimens of this crake 

 were also killed, during that season, in the same locality where, at 

 the same time, spotted rails were unusually plentiful. 



* Of the first four eggs taken on the 9th of June, purchased 

 by Mr. W. M. Crowfoot, of Beccles, one only remains in his 

 possession, he having most liberally parted with the remainder to 

 Mr. A. Newton, Mr. R. Upcher, and myself. Of those taken on 

 July 7th, three were broken, and of the other two, one is, I 

 believe, in Mr. Overend's possession, and the other in the collec- 

 tion of Mr. A. Crowley, of Croydon. 



