594 The Zoologist — February, 1867. 



30th of September, however, after several weeks of cold and wet, wc 

 had a glorious day, — warm as in June, — and the deep blue of the 

 sunny sky was veiled rather than hidden by the light fleecy clouds. 

 About noon, whilst enjoying in the garden this delightful change, 

 I observed several starlings high up in "the blue vault of heaven," 

 circling round and round, after the manner of house martins, and like 

 them, too, occasionally rising a little in their flight, as if to seize some 

 insect a little overhead. Occasionally they would take a wider sweep, 

 and passing at a lower level over the garden, convinced me of their 

 identity, although the total absence of martins at the time (they 

 having retired to the river side for the day) left no ground for doubt. 

 Their actions were certainly different to anything I had ever noticed 

 in this species before, the usual flight of the starling having, for the 

 most part, a settled purpose about it — a hurrying to and fro, whether 

 singly or in parties of three or four. When in flocks, also, their 

 turnings and twistings have a marvellous precision of movement, 

 whilst in this instance no two birds appeared to lake the same course, 

 and yet for two hours, at least, they remained on the wing, for no other 

 purpose that I can imagine than that of hawking for flies, judging 

 from the exact similarity of their movements to those of house martins 

 under the same circumstances. 



October. 



Greenfinch. — A very pretty variety of this species was shot at 

 Blofield on the 5th. The plumage of this bird, a female, was almost 

 entirely white, a few pale yellow tinges .only appearing on the upper 

 wing-coverts, back and breast. 



Swallows and Marlins. — A young swallow seen on the 11th, and 

 house martins observed for the last time near the city on the 20lh, 

 sharp frosts having set in at night, and the leaves falling fast. 



Great Gray Shrike. — One killed about the beginning of the month, 

 and another, an adult male, on the 23rd, near East Hailing Station. 



Arrival of Autumn and Winter Migrants. — Woodcock, September 

 30lh ; wild geese seen on the 1st of October; hooded crow, October 

 3rd; fieldfare, October 28th. 



Cormorant. — A female, in immature plumage, but having the 

 ovaries very distinguishable, was shot near Ormesby Broad on the 

 12th. Mr. T. E. Gunn, of this city, who preserved this specimen, 

 informs me that the stomach contained no food, but attached to 

 the inner membrane were a number of live worms, eight of which 



