THE ZooLocist—FEBRuARY, 1875. 4337 
Wild Fowl in Norfolk.—During the severe weather in December last 
several kind of fowl were killed on Breydon and the surrounding marshes, 
but they were not in such abundance as might have been expected. 
I received two nice female gadwalls, and have heard of another (also a female), 
some good pochards, and several goldeneyes (females and young males), 
mallards, and goosanders: as many as fourteen of the latter were killed by 
one gunner in a couple of days, but not one adult male amongst them: 
these, I heard, were sent off to the London market. TI received a very small 
female merganser ; the wigeon (locally called “smea ”) were in the greatest 
abundance. The above from Yarmouth. I received a good pair of shovelers 
from Salthouse; also a female of the same from Wells.—T. E. Gunn; 
St. Giles-street, Norwich, January 9, 1875. 
Whitetailed Eagle in Northamptonshire.—A young whitetailed eagle was 
caught near Farming Woods (Lord Lyvedon’s) on Thursday, January 7th. 
Tt had been seen and shot at two days before by a keeper, and proved, on 
examination, to have a broken thigh. The bird was taken to Lord Lilford’s, 
its thigh set, and it was doing well on the 11th.—‘ Field,’ J anuary 16, 1875. 
Merlin in the New Forest.—A fine female merlin was killed on the 27th 
of December, whilst in the act of striking at a partridge. It is said to 
occasionally breed in the New Forest, but does not nest on the ground, as 
it does in its own recognized northern localities ; it here adapts itself to 
circumstances, and builds its nest in the hole of a tree, or perhaps substitutes 
an old nest of an owl or some such bird, an account of which is given in 
Wise’s ‘ New Forest’ (pp. 267, 268, foot-note), where other particulars of its 
nidification may be found. I have never but once seen the bird in the 
summer months, and that was a male, in the forest.—@. B. Corbin. 
Pied Blackbirds near Norwich.—Several pied blackbirds have been seen 
or captured during the last few weeks in the surrounding localities. Four 
specimens have passed through my hands.—T. E. Gunn; Jan. 11, 1875. 
Shore Lark near Bideford.—A correspondent of the ‘ Field Newspaper’ 
shot a specimen of this bird on Northam Burrows on the 2nd of J anuary, 
and adds that four specimens only have previously been recorded as having 
been obtained in Great Britain. This appears to be a mistake. It is 
certainly a species of rare and uncertain appearance, but I have repeatedly 
obtained specimens from birdcatchers.— Edward Newman. 
Starvation of Kingfishers, &.—The kingfishers seem to have suffered 
Yather severely from the effects of the late frosts. As many as a dozen 
which had been picked up and brought to me seemed mere skeletons,— 
feathers and bone,—and numerous others fell an easy prey to the many 
gunners who took advantage of the severe weather to have some “ sport.” 
Fieldfares, redwings, starlings, blackbirds, thrushes, larks, and a host of the 
smaller birds were slaughtered by scores, and so tame were the former that, 
in the Crescent, in this city, boys actually knocked them down with sticks 
