THE ZooLocist—APRIL, 1872. 3023 
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as to the kingfisher, expressing my surprise at its breeding so early in the 
year. I now wish to add, in further evidence, that three young ones were 
out this year on the 11th of March.—IV. C. Hewitson ; Oatlands, Walton- 
on-Thames. 
Purple Heron, Squacco Heron and Night Heron in Norfolk.—I find that 
my meaning has not been clearly understood about the purple heron, squacco 
heron and night heron, in the last ‘ Zoologist’ (S. S. 2983), where I have 
said that they were “all most plentiful fifty years ago” in Norfolk. I did 
not intend to convey the idea that they were ever anything more than acci- 
dental visitants, but that of late they have become more rare than ever, and 
that perhaps they had never been more plentiful than they were about fifty 
years ago. In this Mr. Stevenson’s ‘ Birds of Norfolk’ bears me out. 
Between 1830 and 1833 he records eleven purple herons (to which I can 
add a twelfth) as against three killed since that date, vol. ii, p 145. 
Betwoen 1820 and 1834 six squacco herons as against one since. Between 
1819 and 1827 seven or eight night herons as against one since.—J. H. 
Gurney, jun. 
Plumage of the, Whitefronted Goose.— On the 25th of last October 
I bought a young whitefronted goose: an old one was hanging up with it. 
It had yellow legs and a very short beak, and the nail at the end of the 
upper mandible was black. There was no white on the face, round the base 
of the mandibles, and but the very slightest trace of the usual black barring 
upon the breast. Since the legs have dried, they have become the colour 
of a pinkfooted goose’s, and I would defy anyone to distinguish it from one, 
yet I am convinced it is a whitefronted.—J. H. Gurney, jun. 
Mortality amongst Razorbills——During a visit to the coast of South 
Devon, in the early part of last month, I had an opportunity of observing 
the phenomenon noticed by two of your correspondents in your last number, 
viz., the unusual mortality that seems to have prevailed amongst the razor- 
bills and guillemots lately. The shores of the Warren, a large sand-bank 
near Exmouth, were strewn with bodies of the former species in various 
stages of decay, and although I only noticed one specimen of the latter bird, 
yet I doubt not that had I pursued my search further I should have come 
across others. I went from Exmouth to Northam Burrows for a few days, 
but was somewhat surprised not to find a single bird washed ashore upon 
that coast, although I have on several previous occasions found it strewn 
with the bodies of birds of both species, usually after the autumnal gales. 
At Exmouth I shot a good specimen of the redthroated diver, which, when 
I first observed it, had two other birds of apparently the same species with 
it.—Mareus 8. C. Rickards; 37, Cornwallis Crescent, Clifton, March 16, 
1872. 
Mortality amongst Razorbills.—Seeing an account in your last impression 
of several razorbills having been found washed ashore near Eastbourne, I 
