The Zoologist— May, 1868. 1231 



hood of one of our Broads. I have fortunately succeeded in purchasing both the eggs 

 for my own collection, and while still in the yelk I exhibited them at the Meeiing of 

 the Norwich Naturalists' Society, held on the 6th of April. The old birds had 

 frequently been observed for some time past in the vicinity of the Broad by a 

 labouring man residing near the spot, and who, from their appearance and manners, 

 imagined they had nested, or were preparing to nest, in that locality: his surmises 

 proved to be correct, for on the day stated above he found the nest containing the two 

 eggs only. This date I think unusually early for the breeding of the bittern : on this 

 point, however, I am not certain, neither Yarrell nor Mollis giving the slightest in- 

 formation as to the time of their nesting. The nest, as is usually stated by authors, 

 was composed of reeds and sticks. The eggs are of a uniform pale brownish colour, 

 a shade or two darker than the usual hue of the common pheasant's egg, but the shell 

 is not of that glossy surface, the texture being somewhat coarser. One egg is a trifle 

 larger than the other, and presents a beautiful oval form ; the other tapers more at the 

 ends, particularly at one end. Their respective measurements are as follows: — 

 first, 2 inches 3 lines in length by 1 inch 7\ lines in diameter; second, 2 inches 3 lines 

 in length by 1 inch 6| lines in diameter. — T. E. Gunn; April 10, 1868. 



Eider Duck on ike Essex Coast. — A fine specimen of the male eider (Anas 

 mollisiima), in immature plumage, was shot in the last week of December, 1867, at 

 Mersea, and has been added to my collection. This bird, so common in the North of 

 Scotland, is rare in the South. 1 have never before met with it, or heard of its being 

 captured, on the Essex coast. The bird in its first winter's dress is very different from 

 that in the summer adult livery, and the naturalist is sometimes puzzled to distinguish 

 it from its near ally, the king duck (Anas spectabilis). Temminck tells us that the 

 females of the two species are alike ; but Degland has pointed out that the female king 

 duck is of a redder brown, the beak shorter, and the feet yellow instead of greenish 

 black. In my bird dissection, displaying the bony labyrinth, told me that my speci- 

 men was a male, and I had no difficulty in referring it to the eider, although the 

 measurements were the same as those of the female king duck in my collection, 

 allowing for the difference in a dried and fresh skin; but the feet and legs were 

 blackish green, the web nearly black, and the plumage altogether of a darker brown, 

 quite distinct from the rich red-brown of the female and young male king duck. — 

 Dr. Bree, in the ' Field ' Newspaper. 



Great Northern Diver near Birkenhead. — On the 9th of April, while on a visit to 

 General the Hon. Sir Edward Cust, at Leasowe Castle, near Birkenhead, I sallied 

 forth along the shore towards Hoylake, and after I had passed the town and arrived 

 opposite Hilbre Island I was surprised to see a great northern diver swimming 

 leisurely in the shallow water about a couple of hundred yards distant from the shore. 

 Although I had a gun with me, I was armed with a far better weapon — a pair of 

 opera-glasses, which have seen service in Africa ; and by their means I was enabled to 

 observe the bird to great advantage. The second week in April is a late date to see a 

 northern diver so far South. — A. Clark- Kennedy. 



Blacldhroated Diver at Lowestoft. — A male of the blackihroated diver was shot on 

 the 14th of January last, on the coast in the vicinity of Lowestoft, and on the following 

 day was forwarded to me to preserve for a gentleman residing in that town. The bird 

 was apparently assuming the adult plumage, numerous square white spots appearing 

 on the feathers of its back, wings and upper wing-coveits. Some of the black feathers 



