OCCASIONAL NOTES. 23 
which were only partially successful to decoy the nearest ducks under the 
fatal netting. The largest number of ducks ever taken by Page, the decoy- 
man, here at one time in a single pipe was 101, and I do not know how 
they all squeezed into the small tunnel-net, as it is called, at the end of the 
pipe. By-the-bye, one of these tunnel-nets at Fritton, hung up on a rail, 
served this summer for a Redstart to build in. As might be expected, the 
extensive woods which surround the lake are frequented by many hawks. A 
fine Honey Buzzard, which had been sent from Fritton to be stuffed, was 
shown to me while at Lowestoft, and I believe this bird has several times 
occurred at the lake, as also has the young of the Sea Hagle. The Sparrow- 
hawk was evidently common, for in the course of a walk I saw three or 
four. About two hundred yards from the lake, at Mr. H. Buxton’s house, 
I had good opportunities of watching a cock Black Redstart, which seemed 
to be very partial to a new terrace which was being built. It stayed a few 
days on and about the house, often approaching within a few feet of the 
windows, but was not seen after October 30th. Though a black male, it 
had no white on the wing (cf. ‘ Rambles of a Naturalist in Egypt,’ p. 162), 
—J. H. Gurney, Jun. (Northrepps, Norwich). 
Tax Lance Russet Varrety or THE Common Snipe. — The other 
day I received from Scilly a string of Snipes, and amongst them was 
a specimen of the variety known as the Russet Snipe (see Gould’s 
‘Birds of Great Britain.’) It was a female, and, although badly shot, 
and in condition by no means beyond the average, weighed fully four 
ounces and a half. The character of the plumage is precisely like those I 
have obtained before—viz. a predominant cast of rufous on the dorsal 
plumage, with fainter and narrower longitudinal stripes, and with the flanks 
much more striated than the Common Snipe. I weighed all the others 
and found none exceeded three ounces and a half, although in fair 
condition. In order to bring more immediately before one’s eyes the length 
and shape of the tail-feathers, I have had them placed in a case in the same 
typical attitude, with their tails spread, for the purpose of further examination 
as to their specific value. There appear to be one or two points of 
distinction as regards the measurements, to which Mr. Vingoe called my 
attention on comparing specimens of each. The tertial feathers in the 
Common Snipe reach to the tips of the primaries when closed, or very 
nearly so; in the russet-coloured bird they do not reach the end of the 
primaries by half an inch at least. There is a difference also in the length 
and shape of the tail; that of the Common Snipe appears almost square at the 
,end when spread, the outer feather being equal in length to the third, and 
these are the longest in the tail. The length of the whole tail in the 
common species exceeds that of the russet variety by at least half an 
inch ; the tail-feathers of the latter, when spread, form a regular round, 
