290 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xv. 



on November 13th and 19th, and two more at Hemsby by 

 Miss Ferrier about the same time, as well as one at Blakeney, 

 while a sixth was seen at sea (Matthews). Subsequently 

 (January 1922) four more were thrown up at Blakeney and 

 discovered by the Watcher at high tide mark. It must have 

 been starvation which accounted for so many corpses, unless 

 they were thrown out of herring-nets b}^ the " drifters." 



Black-necked Grebe {Podiceps n. nigricollis). 



On May 7th one turned up on the Broads and remained a 

 few days but I did not succeed in getting a view of it, and 

 about the same time a Grebe which answered to the description 

 of this species was seen by Mr. Buxton on Ho vet on Broad. 



Great Crested Grebe {Podiceps c. cristatus). 



At a recent meeting of the Naturalists' Society, the Rev. 

 Morris Bird reported two nests on February 21st. This earty 

 nidification he attributed to the drought, and to the same 

 cause was probably due the death of some Grebes in April, 

 which had been partaking too freely of some aquatic vegetable 

 matter (? Potamogeton) with the result that a hard ball was 

 formed in the gizzard, which would not pass (J. Vincent). 



Wood-Pigeon {Columha p. palumbiis). 



December was marked as usual by large arrivals of Wood- 

 Pigeons, which some think come from Scotland, some from 

 abroad. Anyhow, not content with their legitimate food of 

 acorns, they presently attacked the sainfoin. As this was the 

 only kind of hay which had withstood the long drought, and 

 of that there was not much, their depredations were most 

 unwelcome. Pigeons are not easy birds to shoot, even with 

 decoys, but at Witchingham, where special artifices have been 

 employed and where the woods are large, the following bags 

 were made — 130, 115, 105, 80, 60, which to one gun must be 

 almost a record for the county. 



Golden Plover [Oiaradrius apricariiis). 



Several times flocks of 100 and 200 were seen passing over 

 Norwich in the earty morning by Mr. W. G. Clarke, and I 

 hear from Sir Digby Pigott of a congregation of ver}^ unusual 

 dimensions which settled in a field at Langham in November, 

 several hundreds at least, but they were unapproachable. 



Ruff {PJiilomachus pugnax). 



Reeves arrived in the usual district on April 4th and on 

 May 8th two males with frills were to be seen, but on going 



