4630. THE ZooLocisTt—OCcTOBER, 1875. 
Black Guillemot.—An adult male of this species, in change 
from winter to summer plumage, was washed ashore on Caister 
beach, near Yarmouth, ou the 22nd, during a prevalence of north- 
easterly gales, other birds—such as razorbills, common guillemots, 
&c.—being found dead in like manner about the same time. This 
species is decidedly rare on the Norfolk coast. 
Do Starlings rear more than one Brood in a Year ?—A corre- 
spondent drew my attention to this point last year, and though 
I must own it had never occurred to me before (and particularly 
from their numbers in autumn) that they differed in this respect 
from blackbirds and thrushes, still, on enquiry amongst other 
observers, I cannot ascertain that this species is known to have 
more than one brood in a year, unless the first is destroyed. No 
mention, I believe, is made of this point in any work on British 
Ornithology, and I wish therefore to direct the attention of the 
readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ to it, for confirmation or otherwise. At 
Northrepps, near Cromer, this year, as Mr. Gurney informs me, 
some hundreds of starlings still roosted nightly in the laurels ot 
the “cottage” wood, but after that date their numbers sensibly 
decreased, most likely from their pairing off and dispersing to 
breed; but as late as the 10th of June from a hundred to a 
hundred and fifty of these birds still roosted in the same spot, and 
apparently had not paired, nor did they intend nesting this year. 
In other seasons I have remarked several flocks of starlings still 
feeding in company, whilst others, paired off, were feeding their 
young; and yet too early in the season for them to be taken for 
young and old together. Possibly many starlings do not pair till 
their second year. 
APRIL. 
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.—A bird of this species was ob- 
served on the trunk of a tree at Keswick on the 20th; it kept near 
the top of the tree, and its tapping could be heard at some 
distance. About the last week in March another was sent up to 
Norwich to be stuffed, from Tibbenham, in Suffolk. The spring- 
note of the great spotted woodpecker was first heard at Keswick 
this year on the Sth of February. 
Heron.—A pair of herons were observed this spring to return to 
the same spot in the Keswick Rookery where a nest was built last 
year, and the young hatched, but unfortunately the attacks of the 
