4186 The Zoologist — October, 1874. 



nothing more remarkable than the too early "indications of 

 spring" — the pairing and song, in the middle of January, of 

 thrushes, blackbirds and robins, and the appearance of violets and 

 primroses, as if the winter was fairly over. The snow buntings, so 

 abundant on our coast in November and December (S. S. 3862), 

 still frequented the same localities in diminished flocks, and at 

 Yarmouth were at one time so numerous that the bird-catchers 

 netted them for "trap" shooting in place of sparrows. Towards 

 the end of the month I observed, in this neighbourhood, large 

 flocks of small finches, linnets, redpolls, &c., feeding on the 

 stubbles, but " here to-day and gone to-morrow," and notwith- 

 standing the mildness of the weather, the usual bunches of cock 

 greenfinches appeared in the market, showing the annual and, as 

 to sex, the separate migration of this species, at this time of year. 



February. 



A ievr severe frosts and some snow in the early part of the month 

 brought some fowl and snipe into our markets, but nothing of any 

 rarity. On Wroxham Broad the abundance of Anacharis alsi- 

 nastrum attracted an unusual number of ducks, chiefly mallard 

 and teal, and drew the coots from surrounding waters in con- 

 siderable quantities to feed on this favourite but troublesome weed. 

 On the 5th a bittern, an unusually small bird, was killed at Stalham, 

 and on the 8lh I again observed innnense flocks of greenfinches, 

 linnets and other small birds, evidently " on the move," in advance 

 of the snow and sharp frosts, which commenced the day after and 

 lasted up to the 13th. A female goldeneye, a inw pochards, teal 

 and mallard, with bunches of snipes, green and golden plovers, 

 and a solitary magpie (a scarce species now in Norfolk) were the 

 only birds worth notice which that short spell of hard weather 

 brought to our game-dealers ; but a very fine old male goosander 

 was shot about this lime on Breydon. Fieldfares and redwings were 

 extremely abundant during the frost, and our birdstuff'ers received 

 several kingfishers, goldencrestcd wrens, and three or four great 

 crested grebes ; but whether the latter were shot on the coast or on 

 inland waters I could not ascertain. About the middle of the month 

 some two dozen bullfinches were brought alive to a bird-fancier in 

 this city, said to have been taken in the neighbourhood of North- 

 Walsham. A pied hen of this species, very prettily marked, was 

 sent to Mr. Gunn to be stuff'ed about the same time. Another 



