9576 Birds. 



fields in a southerly direction, and alwaj's about the same time, between 

 three and four o'clock in the afternoon. Being desirous of knowing 

 what they were he stationed himself under a fence, near their ordinary 

 course of flight, and, making a long sliot, succeeded in dropping a 

 single bird, which proved to be a brambling. On the following day 

 he repeated the experiment with the same result ; and slill at the usual 

 time, from about half-past three till dusk, these birds kept passing on 

 in one unvarying line, and continued to do so for about a week. 

 Although fully believing from the first that these were migratory 

 flocks, he was siifliciently interested in the matter to watch all one 

 day, from the early morn, to ascertain if any of them would return 

 again, but not one appeared till the afternoon, and then as before in 

 large numbers and in the same direction. 



Great Gray Shrike. — A single specimen of the gray shrike was 

 killed at Halhersett, near Norwich, on the 14th of February. 



Slorm Petrel. — The only bird of this species I have heard of during 

 the past winter was picked uj5 dead on Kelliug Heath, near Holt, 

 about the end of last year, and was sent to Mr. Barlow, of Cam- 

 bridge. 



Redbrensted Merganser. — On the 4th of February I saw a splendid 

 adult female in our fish-market, having a rich buff tint on the breast, 

 quite as vivid as in some males, and a similar bird from Barton Broad 

 was killed on the 9th of March. Two fine old males, in full plumage, 

 were sent me from Salthouse on the 14th of February. 



Goostinder. — An adult female killed at Holkham about the 11th of 

 February ; a fine old male, near Lynn, on the 2nd of March ; and two 

 males, one adult and one immature, at the same place, on the 11th of 

 March. 



Smew. — On the lOlh of February two immature specimens of this 

 bird were exposed for sale in the Norwich Market. On the 17th a 

 beautiful adult male and a young bird were killed at Yarmouth, and 

 an adult pair at Sonthery on the '27th. 



Divers, Black and Redthroated. — On the 4th of February a black- 

 throated diver for sale in our market, having a perfectly white throat 

 and a hw white spots on the wing-coverts. On the 11th of February 

 one specimen from Holkham and two from Gaythorpe, Suffolk, with 

 white throats and no white on the upper parts. On the 18lh of March 

 a redthroated diver was killed somewhere on the coast, in full winter 

 plumage, the throat white and the feathers on the back broadly tipped 

 with the same. 



Cormorant. — A remarkably fine specimen of this bird, in full 



