The Zoologist— Octobek, 1874, 4189 



remained on their nests, evidently sitting close, and empty egg- 

 shells here and there on the ground showed that some nestlings 

 were hatched. With the help of a powerful glass I had a good 

 view of the silting birds as they crouched down, with their long 

 necks thrown back between their shoulders and their beaks and 

 tails projecting from and resting on their platform of twigs. Where 

 their long legs were stowed away so as not to interfere with 

 either eggs or young seemed a mystery, but they were most un- 

 questionably in the nest, and not, as I have heard asserted to be 

 the custom of these birds, protruded through the nest or over the 

 sides. An entire nest from this heronry, preserved in a glass case 

 in the hall, contains four nestlings, all differing in size and age, 

 like young hawks. A pair of herons established themselves this 

 year in Keswick rookery and brought off their young ones, for the 

 first time since, about forty-five years ago, they quitted that ancient 

 stronghold for Earlham and other neighbouring localities, the 

 underwood there being somewhat thoughtlessly burnt during the 

 breeding season, a liberty which they resented by seeking fresh 

 quarters the following spring. 



Lesser Redpoll. — Mr, Purdy, of Aylsham. sent me on the 27th a 

 beautiful little nest of this species, which had been built in a yew 

 tree, and to which, entangled in a horse-hair that had been woven 

 into the structure, was suspended an unfortunate redpoll, too 

 securely fastened to effect its release, I cannot endorse Mr, Gunn's 

 remark (Zool. S. S, 4117), that the lesser redpoll " is becoming quite 

 a resident in Norfolk," since, although I have not known of its 

 nesting so near this city as in the instance recorded by him, yet 

 more than twenty years ago I knew of its breeding in some of the 

 localities he names, and in others as well. Mr, Purdy tells me he 

 has several pairs nesting in a plantation near his house in spruce- 

 fir trees. 



Common Buzzard. — An immature specimen shot at Thwaite on 

 the 4th, 



Shoveller and Garganey. — Saw a fine male shoveller on Hoveton 

 Broad on the 27th, and several garganeys, which nest there every 

 year, 



Blachheaded Gulls, Grebes, S^c. — The gulls, which for some 

 years past have located themselves on Hoveton Broad, were more 

 than usually numerous this spring, and were laying freely at the 

 time I visited the Broad on the 27th. Six pairs of great crested 



SECOND SEKIES — VOL. IX. 3 D 



