The Zoologist — July, 1873. 3609 



placed along the beach here to prevent the encroachment of the 

 sea. 



Feb. 11. A hawfinch killed about this date in a garden at Blax- 

 hall. My brother shot a fine old male scaup this morning, it was 

 a single bird, and had been seen near the same place two or three 

 days. 



Feb. 17. Great quantities of peewits in the marshes; also a flock 

 of some small Tringa, probably dunlins, and among them a single 

 golden plover; when on the wing this bird, though nearly double 

 the size of the others, acted exactly as if it were one of them, 

 turning at the same moment as they did, and keeping nearly in the 

 centre of the flock. 



Feb. 19. Saw a single pair of siskins about some alders: I 

 believe these birds ai'e far less frequent here than in West Suffolk. 



Feb. 24. Put up a snipe this morning, which immediately began 

 bleating, as they do in the breeding-season. 



Feb. 25. Saw five or six pintails alight in some water standing 

 in the marshes, but could not get near them. There have lately 

 been flocks of greenfinches and a few sparrows feeding on the 

 beach, close down to the sea, — I suppose upon oats, a quantity of 

 which have been washed ashore from a vessel wrecked close by ; 

 the rooks seem also to have found them out. 



Feb. 28. Shot a chifl'chaff at Blaxhall ; heard the call of the 

 great tit. 



March 3. A good many ducks come now to the marshes at night. 

 Redshanks are getting back to their breeding haunts, their numbers 

 keep gradually increasing. 



March 4. Very warm. A good many snipe bleating and uttering 

 their breeding note, day and night. Waterhens are also very noisy 

 now at night ; besides their usual note I heard them utter a short 

 sharp whistle, exceedingly loud considering the size of the bird. 



March 6. Both marsh and cole tits appear to be rather numerous 

 here just now ; I saw some of the former to-day on some furze 

 bushes. We have had four geese here for the last two or three 

 days; 1 believe them to be whitefrouted by their note. 



March 8. Ringed dotterel have arrived at their breeding-station 

 here, between Sizewell and the Dunwich Cliffs. 



March 11. Saw a weasel this morning on the beach and found 

 his nest, which was under a pile of wood ; it was made of moss and 

 dry grass, and contained a short-tailed field vole, a lark (freshly 



