3226 5 THE ZOOLOGIST—SEPTEMBER, 1872. 
beach, evidently breeding at the former if not at the latter place, 
as we saw two carrying food to their young. The eggs are very hard 
to find without a good dog. This species greatly outnumbers the 
common tern, of which only three were seen.—G. 
Common Tern.—On the 15th Mr. E. L. King found more than a 
dozen nests on Wolferton beach. “Only one,” he says, “ contained 
young, and that nest had only one bird off, but the shells of the 
other two eggs were pierced and we could hear the young in them 
squeak.”— G. 
JULY. 
Robin.—On the 18th I saw a wild robin throw up a pellet.—G. 
Hooded Crow.—One seen on the 3rd by the keeper. He once 
saw three about nearly all the summer, but believes that these are 
only wounded birds which stay behind.—G. 
Wren.—On the 18th I saw a nest in an old hat. On the 24th 
of last July Mr. Baker, of Cambridge, showed me a wren’s nest in 
a human skull. A tuft of dead brake is a favourite place about 
here. My father hands me the following note:—“On the 9th 
July a nest of the common wren was found at Northrepps, the 
interior of which was entirely filled with the comb of a humble bee 
(Bombus muscorum, Linn.). The nest appeared to be of this 
year’s construction, but whether abandoned before the wren’s eggs 
had been laid in it or after the young had flown could not be 
ascertained. The nest was built in a tuft of dead brake, about 
fifteen inches from the ground, and was constructed of moss, well 
lined with pheasant’s and other feathers. The comb in the nest 
consisted of sixteen cells, from four of which the occupants 
appeared to have already emerged. Only three bees were found 
about the comb, a female and two workers, which were all 
extremely unwilling to leave the nest. The interior of the mossy 
part of the wren’s nest swarmed with very minute spider-like 
insects, which ran about the moss with great activity.”—G. 
Common Skua.— On the 15th Mr. Howard Saunders informs me 
that he saw acommon skua close in shore at Cromer. It is the 
first I ever heard of in England at this season of the year.—G. 
Gannet.—On the 16th a small flock of old birds were seen at 
Cromer by Mr. Saunders. It is an odd date for them.—G. 
Lesser Redpole.—On the 17th my father observed a redpole. I 
am assured that none have been seen in this parish until this year. 
Mr. Norgate has seen five more nests at Sparham (cf. Zool. §. 8. 
$132).—G. 
