The Zoologist— May, 1871. 2597 



Ornithological Notes from Norfolk —January and February, 1871. 

 Bj Henry Stevenson, Esq., F.L.S. 



(Continued from Zool. S. S. S477.) 



The late severe winter, both in the degree of cold experienced 

 and the prolonged frost and snow, much resembled that of 1860-61, 

 but in the number of wild-fowl and other northern visitants— 

 rarely met with in such abundance— it reminded me rather of 

 1854-55, at which time I recorded, in the 'Zoologist' (p. 4660), 

 a goodly list of specimens obtained in this county. 



With us the hard weather commenced on the night of the 20th 

 of December, 1870, with a heavy fall of snow, increased day by day, 

 till the ground was covered more than a foot deep on the level, but 

 from an absence of wind, and therefore of drift, the traffic was but 

 httle impeded. The frost at this time was intense, at limes only 

 just above zero, and, with but little abatement, lasted up to the 12th 

 or 13th of January. A rapid thaw on the 14th cleared off nearly 

 all the snow, and, with only occasionally severe frosts at night, the 

 weather continued open till the 24th, when a second heavy fall of 

 snow lasted till the 28th, and the broads and smaller streams were 

 stdl thickly ice-bound up to the first week in February. We had 

 then an interval of warm sunny weather from the 6th to the 10th, 

 but only to be followed by more snow, with a biting wind-frost, even 

 more trying, whilst it lasted, than we had yet experienced, whilst 

 the severity of the gale and the blinding snow-storms of that fatal 

 Friday strewed the eastern coast with wrecks from the Humber to 

 the Yare. In the afternoon of that day a large flock of wild geese, 

 driven inland by the storm, took shelter in the Yarmouth Cemetery, 

 from whence they were flushed by the sexton; and immense 

 numbers of fowl were driven close in shore. From that date, 

 however, the weather moderated, and we experienced only slight 

 frosts at night, or an occasional fall of snow, lasting only a iew 

 hours. 



In such a winter it is not surprising that our ordinary visitants 

 from more northern locahties should have poured in upon us in 

 immense numbers. The quantity of snow buntings and bram- 

 blings was something extraordinary ; siskins and lesser redpolls 

 were also plentiful, but not mealy redpolls; and the influx of sky 

 larks, missel thrushes, blackbirds, stock doves and wood pigeons, 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. VI. 2 B ' 



