SOME BIRD NOTES 279 



Mar. 2th. A large flock of fully two thousand starlings 

 manoeuvring on a marsh near the town. It 

 is unusual to see such an assemblage so late 

 in the season. Probably they were late- 

 hatched birds of the previous year. Query 

 Did they intend migrating eastwards? I 

 have usually seen them both coming in and 

 going away in small flocks of from ten to 

 thirty. 



2th. Bunches of starlings passing over the town, 

 high up, in wedge form, going direct east. 

 Probably detachments from the flock of 

 yesterday. 



May 5//z. I have several times noted the connection there 

 appears to be between the advent of grey 

 plovers and a spell of wind from the S.E. 

 Several grey plovers on Breydon to-day, 

 noisily piping. Wind, S.S.W. How will it 

 be to-morrow ? 



6th. Wind suddenly gone round to S.E. Curiously 

 coinciding with yesterday's arrival of grey 

 plovers. 



jth. Wind very puffy to-night, with squalls. 

 1 6th. Two shovelers, very busy on the Zostera, pick- 

 ing Hydrobia ulvce off the prostrate stems. 

 Heron having caught a large eel, very much 

 pestered by a pursuing flock of gulls, which 

 harassed it a-wing and afloat. Bitter N.E, 

 wind. 



2$th. Several grey plovers on Breydon. Wind, S.W. 

 (Wind changed to N.E. next morning, and in 

 afternoon to S.E.) 



July 5//z Four dunlins, adults, with black breasts ; surely 

 these were birds returning. I have seen young 

 birds here on the 7th of July. As they breed 

 freely in some of the more northern counties 

 of England this is not, perhaps, remarkable. 



Sept. \2th. The landrail has been plentiful in the neigh- 

 bourhood lately. I saw no less than eight on 

 a poulterer's stall to-day. Mr. J. H. Gurney 

 wrote me on the 4th that " nine corncrakes 

 were put up in one barley-field." 



Oct. 2nd. I saw a pintail with remarkably rufous tinted 

 plumage, a colouration due probably to its 

 frequenting water impregnated with oxide of 

 iron. 



