282 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



regularly on our coast, towards the end of autumn, on 

 its passage southward from the Arctic regions, where it 

 breeds in summer in countless myriads. That they are 

 rarely seen except in stormy weather is accounted for by 

 their strictly marine habits, preferring "with their wond- 

 rous powers of swimming and diving" the open sea, 

 being well able, like the guillemots and razorbills, to get 

 their living in the deep waters. The prevalence, how- 

 ever, of autumnal gales at the very time of their arrival 

 on our eastern coast accounts for the large proportion 

 of specimens obtained inland, which have been borne 

 helplessly onward with the fury of the storm, to be 

 dropped exhausted in some strange locality far from 

 their natural haunts. Amongst other places at a dis- 

 tance from the coast, I have known the little auk to 

 occur at North Walsham, Fakenham, Stalham, Stratton 

 Strawless, South Walsham, Scottow, Eeymerston, Hev- 

 ingham, and Buckenham ; also at Eaton, Lakenham, 

 and Thorpe, near Norwich, between twenty and thirty 

 miles from the sea; in several instances in the city 

 itself. Many of these birds were alive when first picked 

 up, but, either from previous injury or want of proper 

 food, soon died. A curious instance of the boldness of 

 one of these birds soon after capture was related to me 

 by Mr. Rising. In the autumn of 1862 a little auk 

 was taken alive in a turnip field by a labourer at Horsey, 

 who carried it home with him, and having supplied it 

 with a 'keeler' of water, it dipped and washed itself 

 most happily, and arranged its feathers afterwards with 

 the most perfect indifference to its strange position. I 

 regret to say that this most interesting bird, though 

 apparently doing well, was afterwards killed in order to 

 be stuffed. It would not, I imagine from the above in- 

 stance, be very difficult, with moderate care, and provided 

 it has been in no way injured, to keep one of these auks 

 alive, at least for some time, and I would strongly advise 

 any one fortunate enough to obtain a living specimen to 

 forward it at once to Mr. Bartlett, at the Zoological 

 Gardens, who would, I am sure, devote every attention 

 to so novel a visitant. 



" Little auks were particularly numerous in the latter 

 part of October, 1841, and again in December^ 1846, and 



