Tue ZooLocist—FrBrvary, 1876. 4795 
Peregrine in the City of Norwich.— Mention is made in Stevenson's 
‘Birds of Norfolk’ (vol. i., p. 10) of a peregrine faleon shot in Norwich 
whilst chasing a tame pigeon on one of the bridges. It is also alluded to at 
p. 1302 of the ‘ Zoologist.’ As the place of its capture was curious, some 
additional particulars which I have gathered may be not unacceptable. It 
was shot from Boardman and Harmer’s wharf, in the heart of Norwich, by 
Mr. Walter Roper, and fell on Duke’s Palace Bridge. It had previously 
darted through the old fish-market in pursuit of a pigeon, almost touching 
the fish-tables and passing up the length of the market. It was killed 
in September, 1838 (according to the ‘Norwich Mercury,’ as quoted in 
N. Wood's ‘ Naturalist,’ vol. iii., p. 223), and the suggestion was that it had 
probably come from the Cathedral. It was stuffed by Johnson, and added 
to my father’s collection.—J. H. Gurney, jun. 
Unusual Quantity of Buzzards in Scotland.—In consequence probably 
of the unusually severe gales that Scotland, as well as England. has been 
lately subjected to, there have been many rare birds driven inland, and 
especially a number of buzzards. There are nearly twenty of these birds at 
present in Edinburgh, some in dealers’ hands and a few in the possession 
of private collectors. All these were Scotch-killed birds, and most of them 
were obtained near the east coast.— Alexander Clark-Kennedy ; Edinburgh, 
December 29, 1875. 
Claws of the Hawk Owl.—The claws of the hawk owl are not bluish black, 
as described by Mr. Higgins (S. 8. 3031), but black and white.—J. H. 
Gurney, jun. 
Blackbreasted Dipper near Filey.—A dipper (one of the blackbreasted 
type) was shot on a “beck” at Flotmanby, near Filey, on the 8th of 
December. Probably this wasa migrant from Scandinavia. I do not think 
any dippers breed near Filey, though they do in some parts of Yorkshire. 
Tf some resident ornithologist will keep a sharp look-out for the dippers, 
and endeavour to find out whether the blackbreasted type breeds with us, 
and if so whether it will mate with the commoner brownbreasted bird, it 
might help to decide whether or not we have two species of dipper in 
Britain.— Julian G. Tuck; Old Vicarage, Ebberston, York. 
Blackbird.—A migration of blackbirds takes place on the coast of Durham 
in the early spring, and at the same time rock pipits appear there, and pied 
wagtails are very much on the move. I disturbed a great many blackbirds 
from some isolated bushes on the 26th of March, 1866, as I was going 
along the embankment of the salt-marshes at Tees-mouth, where I had not 
before seen one. A hen which I shot, and still haye, was remarkably 
dark on the chest, with an entire absence of rufous colouring.—J. H. 
Gurney, jun. 
Blackcap Warbler near Penzance in December.—I have on a former 
occasion reported to you the occurrence of the blackcap in our Land’s End 
