The Zoologist— May, 1871. 2599 



very plentiful, and goldeneyes (some fine old males), tufted ducks, 

 duck and mallard, with a few teal and pochards frozen out 

 inland, and wigeon (the latter very scarce), may be added to 

 the list. 



Shieldrakes were extremely numerous, and the notes I have 

 appended as to hooper swans will show their unusual abundance. 

 The occurrences of Bewick's swan have been but few, and these, 

 as is usual in such winters, appeared only after a long duration 

 of severe frost. Of other kinds of geese besides the common 

 brent, the pinkfooted has been very numerous, especially in its 

 accustomed haunts about Holkham Bay. Bean geese have been 

 scarce, and are, I believe, becoming more and more so in this 

 county; and the whitefronted has, from some cause, been equally 

 rare this winter; and, as far as I can learn, the bernicle has been 

 absent altogether, as well as the graylag. The abundance of 

 goosanders and smews, in adult male plumage, I shall have 

 occasion to notice below; and of the divers, the redthroated 

 and great northern, in an immature stale, have been pretty 

 numerous. 



January. 



Wood Pigeon. — A pure white variety was shot at Wroxham, 

 near Norwich, on the 2nd, and another was said to have been seen 

 at the same time. 



Buzzard. — An immature specimen of the common buzzard was 

 shot at Ormesby, near Yarmouth, about the first week in January. 

 Two for sale in Leadenhall Market, on the 12th, were said to have 

 come from Yarmouth. 



Hawfinch. — An adult male was shot at Wreningham on the 9th. 



Stonechat. — Two or three were shot at Lakenham, near Norwich, 

 during the severe frost at the beginning of the month. 



Blackheaded Gull. — Numbers of these birds were killed during 

 the severe weather, proving that in the hardest winters they still 

 frequent our coast, together with the common, great blackbacked 

 and herring gulls. A blackheaded gull shot at Beeston, near 

 Cromer, on the 2nd of January, exhibited an unusually early 

 state of change from the winter to the summer plumage. The 

 whole of the upper part of the head, as far as the mask generally 

 extends, was more or less dark gray, the white tips to the feathers 

 remaining only in places, and chiefly in the region of the bill. 



