The Zoologist — February, 1874. 3867 



British bird so good a mimic as this in the wild state. I have heard 

 starhngs imitate the notes of the peewit, curlew, jackdaw, and 

 (I fancy) the heron. May 30th. — Young starlings are beginning 

 already to congregate in small flocks with the parent birds. 



Hooded Crow. — First heard on the 22nd of October at Blaxhall. 

 This is later than in the three previous years. 



Wryneck. — First heard on the 3rd of April. 



Swallow. — First seen on the 1st of April near the sea. 



Martin. — May 14th. Saw several house martins this morning. 

 I have scarcely seen any before this date. 



Turtle Dove. — First seen on the 7th of May. The crop of a 

 turtle dove shot here, in a pea- field, in July, contained a large 

 quantity of small seeds and a single pea. One of these birds was 

 shot here as late as the 28th of November; it had been noticed 

 several days before, frequenting a barley-stack: this was a young 

 bird, and apparently a very late-hatched one. 



Norfolk Plover. — First heard and seen at Leiston on the 9th of 

 April. These birds are not uncommon in this neighbourhood, 

 frequenting our sandy heaths by day, and going out regularly about 

 sunset to feed upon the cultivated land, more especially fields of 

 young turnips, where they keep up a tremendous screeching and 

 squealing at intervals throughout the night. 



Ringed Dotterel. — July 30th. Caught a partly-fledged young 

 bird on the beach ; directly it caught sight of me it squatted close 

 to the stones, and the old birds tried hard to attract my attention 

 from it, by running about close to me vrith a crouching attitude, 

 and repeatedly uttering their soft musical whistle. 



Redshank. — Found some redshanks a iew days old on the 14th 

 of May, and on the 29th another recently-hatched bird, also one 

 nearly fully fledged. The stomach of a very young bird contained 

 apparently nothing but black mud. This summer I saw one of 

 these birds alight upon one of the sails of a mill. 



Greenshank. — October 6th. Saw several greenshanks in the river 

 between Snape and Iken. 



Snipe. — We had several snipe breeding here this year; the first 

 nest, containing eggs, was found on the 19th of April. In one nest 

 the eggs differed a good deal from their usual colouring, the ground 

 being of a very light greenish buff", with very few blotches of darker 

 colour, and these only at the large end. On the 12th of May I found 

 a nest in which the eggs were just hatching; the young birds were 



