The Zoologist — February, 1866, 85: 



driven inland by stormy weather. I have since had the pleasure of 

 examining no less than five redlhroated divers in nearly full summer 

 plumage, killed at Cromer, Hickling and Yarmouth, between the 5th 

 and 16th of October: of these the most perfect bird, though killed 

 later than the others (16th), had the gular patch quite pure, and only 

 a few white feathers near the base of the bill, on one side, indicated a 

 state of change : the back in this bird had no spots of any kind, but 

 was of one even cinereous tint. The rest exhibited more or less white 

 in the cheeks, and a few white feathers appearing in the red patch, 

 but were still in beautiful plumage. The one most forward in change, 

 though killed two days earlier than some of them, had the red patch 

 thickly sprinkled with white feathers, and the back and shoulders 

 much spotted. Do not the oldest birds change latest, and are not 

 the spots on the back and shoulders lost altogether in adult 

 specimens ? 



About the same date an immature Sclavonian grebe was shot at 

 Horning, and a few ring ouzels, brought in to our bird-preservers, 

 indicated their usual autumnal passage. 



About the 18th a fine osprey frequented Hoveton Broad for two or 

 three days, but though his life was attempted more than once, I am 

 happy to sa}' he passed on in safety. 



Shorteared owls appear to have been more than usually plentiful 

 this autumn, and consequently many have been shot by sportsmen in 

 the turnip-fields : more than a dozen specimens have been brought to 

 one bird-stuffer in this city. 



About the middle of October a young skua, resembling, I am told, 

 for T did not see the bird, an immature BufFon's skua in the Norwich 

 Museum, was obtained in this neighbourhood; and on the 1st of 

 November a fine adult pomarine skua, and on the 10th an immature 

 Richardson's skua, were procured on the coast, and sent to Norwich 

 for preservation. The occurrence of these birds, together with divers, 

 gannets, &c., in unusual numbers this autumn, Js fully accounted for 

 by the extraordinary shoals of herrings which have visited our shores, 

 and proved a source of very considerable profit to our fishing 

 population. 



On the 28th of October an immature purple heron, a rare visitant to 

 this county, was purchased in our fish-market, having been killed on 

 Ludham Broad : it proved, on dissection, to be a male, a bird of the 

 year, and weighed two pounds three ounces : the stomach contained 

 merely a dry pellet of mouse-hair. 



