634 The Zoologist — March, 1867. 



having had twenty-six for preservation, some of them in capital condition: eleven 

 others have been shot in this locality, making a total of thirty-seven to this date. — 

 John G. Overend; Great Yarmouth, January 22, 1867. — ' Field' of January 26tk. 



Bohemian Waxwing and Bittern near Ipswich. — Three beautiful specimens of the 

 Bohemian waxwing have been shot near here, and are in the hands of Mr. Seaman, 

 naturalist, for preservation. A fine specimen of the bittern was shot a few days since 

 in the parish of Whitton, about two miles from Ipswich, and is being preserved by 

 Mr. Podd, birdstuffer.— ' Field,' January \9lh. 



Pied Wagtails near Hornsea in January.— During the severe weather of a fortnight 

 ago, and after a hard gale from the north-east, I shot a pied wagtail (Motacilla Yar- 

 rellii), and have been informed by a neighbouring farmer on the sea-coast that several 

 of the same birds were to be seen for a day or two about bis stack-yard. Their ap- 

 pearance at this season I imagine to be a very rare and noteworthy occurrence. — 

 N. F. Dobrie ; Hornsea, February 2, 1867. 



Richard's Pipit, Shore Lark and Wood Lark in Norfolk. — A female specimen of 

 Richard's pipit was killed in the vicinity of Yarmouth on the 29th of December last: 

 this is the fourth instance on record of the occurrence of this rare species in Norfolk. 

 As many as six examples of the shore lark," three males and three females, have been 

 recently killed in this county : the first pair were shot at Beeston Regis, near Cromer, 

 on the 29th of November last, the second pair near Yarmouth on the 1st of December, 

 and the third pair during the early part of this month at Salthouse : they were all im- 

 mature birds, the males being the largest and brighter in plumage than the females. 

 On the 15th of January two immature specimens of the wood lark, male and female, 

 were shot at Beeston Regis. All the above rarities, with the exception of the second 

 pair of shore larks, came into my hands for preservation. — T. E. Gunn. 

 ■ Bramblings near Eccleshall. — A (lock of these beautiful birds visited this neigh- 

 bourhood (about ten miles from Eccleshall) during last autumn, and I captured thirty- 

 one of them in one day. — A. D.Bailey; Shooters Hills, Long Ion, Staffordshire. — 

 From the 'Field' of January '26th. 



Linnets gregarious in Summer, and why. — Last summer a flock of linnets remained 

 in the neighbourhood of the links after those of the same species, which had betaken 

 themselves to the whin-covered bills and commons, had eggs. I was at a loss to 

 understand the reason of their late stay, and put to myself the following and kindred 

 questions, as a flock of about one hundred linnets flitted across the il t ills of a potato- 

 field: — Can it be that the young linnets do not breed the first season after they are 

 hatched? are these unfruitful birds? Not seeming to relish my proximity, they took 

 to the windward ; an ounce of dust shot into the " brown of 'em : ' put me in possession 

 of seven females. The ovaries of all the seven contained eggs varying gTeatly in size, 

 the largest in some being no bigger than No. 5 shot; in others they were as large as 

 swan-shot, and in one individual they had attained their full size, one egg having 

 the shell partially coloured and apparently ready for extrusion. Next day I had an 

 opportunity of examining the flock on a piece of bare ground with a binocular, and I 

 discovered that they were all females. The cause of the disproportion of the sexes I 

 bad explained the other day by a bird-catcher, whose knowledge of our local birds and 

 their habits is considerable, who informed me that during last summer he and 

 others bad "limed" about six hundred male linnets, for which they found a ready sale: 

 they had caught, he thought, a greater number of females, which, not being a market- 



