2982 THE ZooLocist—M arcu, 1872. 
Gulls.—A surprising number about the fields between South 
Walsham and Cromer: they appear to consist chiefly of common 
gulls, with blackheaded ones and a few of the larger herring. They 
do no harm, but a solitary and immature great blackback was hung 
up as a scarecrow, as a warning to the rooks.—G. 
Peregrine.—December 1. A peregrine, which had been seen by 
the keeper at Northrepps on the 25th of November, was again 
seen by him, in the evening, to swoop down on a covey of 
partridges.—G. 
Smew.—Mr. Pashley informs me that he saw a flock of seven at 
Cley.—G. 
Bullfinch.—On the 13th a melanism of the female bullfinch was 
caught at Bealaugh, which I purchased of Mr. Gunn. The body 
of it is very dark brown and all the head pure black. It is not the 
first capture of a wild melanism of this species in Norfolk (cf. B. of 
Norf. p. 234).—G. 
Hen Harrier.—On the 23rd an adult male was shot at Hickling. 
It is to be hoped it was a migratory specimen, and not one of 
two pairs that nested there last summer, and which were 
creditably spared by an amateur collector. The specimen retains 
a little brown upon the occiput, and the back is not yet of a pure 
gray.—G. 
Magpie.— A magpie was shot at Hempstead, where they are not 
uncommon, on the 12th.—G. 
Purple Heron.—A very young female purple heron, in good 
condition and in an interesting state of plumage, was shot at 
Horning, on, | believe, the 4th, on which day a snowy owl, already 
recorded (Zool. S.S. 2912) was shot at Southrepps. The specimen 
was taken to Mr. T. Roberts, of whom I bought it: he found in its 
stomach two mice. Only two occurrences are mentioned in the 
‘ Birds of Norfolk’ in the last thirty-nine years, which’shows how 
rare this species has become, like the squacco heron, the night 
heron, &c., which were all most plentiful fifty years ago, judging 
from the records which remain to us, and which are all given in 
the work just quoted.—G. 
Jackdaw.—In the fields at Northrepps, with rooks or singly, 
where it may be known by its size, voice, and wavering unsteady 
flight.—G. 
Whooper.—Some wild swans seen at Ranworth the last week in 
this month were probably whoopers. 
in, 
