278 WILD LIFE ON A NORFOLK ESTUARY 



interference with the Aldeburgh terns, " J. G. T." wrote me 

 the following from Bury St. Edmunds : 



" There has been an agitation in East Suffolk to remove 

 the prohibition of taking the eggs of the common tern, on 

 the ground that the birds do damage to the smelt fishery, 

 which I consider absolute nonsense ; and the real reason, in 

 my opinion, is that people want to gather the eggs. I am 

 told on very good authority that the Sandwich tern bred on 

 our Suffolk coast last season. My correspondent assures me 

 he photographed a nest with one egg, and had an old bird 

 which had struck the wire. I saw one or two Sandwich 

 terns off Lowestoft, or rather Pakefield, last September, but 

 these would no doubt be birds from the Fame Islands. I 

 should not be surprised to hear of their breeding on the 

 Norfolk coast." 



SHORT NOTES FROM THE DIARY 

 BIRDS 



In East Coast Notes a series of "Short Notes" were in- 

 serted (pp. 176-90) which, although brief, were thought to be 

 of interest. The following, some of them passed over at 

 the time, have been considered sufficiently entertaining to 

 find a place in the present volume. Others have been jotted 

 down in the " Notebook " more recently. 



1900 



Jan. A male teal came into my hands on the 23rd, 



which was already commencing to change its 

 plumage. Between the eyes and the base of 

 the beak the feathers had assumed a grey 

 colour, with a few dark spots only showing. 



Feb. During the very severe weather of December, 



1899, the fieldfares seemed to be in no way 

 inconvenienced ; but a sharp spell setting in 

 early this month killed many of them. A 

 number were found dead in St. George's 

 Park. 



Mar. 2$th. Some rooks very busy patrolling a marsh, 

 grubbing out wireworms ; they beat over the 

 ground in so regular a manner that little 

 remained unexamined. Manure was thrust 

 aside as adroitly as turnstones toss aside sea- 

 wrack, in order to see what lay hidden be- 

 neath. 



