84 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



and that the birdcatchers soon had their cages full, and had to 

 " take up " and go home. Next day he noticed the churchyard 

 full of Redwings. On Jan. 10th I found among the scrubby 

 salt-wort bushes which border the sea at Blakeney a good many 

 Redwings, too feeble to keep up with the advanced guard, and a 

 few Blackbirds and a Thrush with them. The Blackbird certainly 

 stands frost and snow better than any of the Thrush family ; but 

 they all seem to be aware that the vicinity of the sea thaws the 

 ground a little, and that there, if anywhere, is a chance for 

 procuring food. 



Mr. Smith reports that on July 29th hundreds of Swifts were 

 seen going south at Yarmouth, flying only three or four feet from 

 the ground. As late as Nov. 3rd a dozen or twenty House 

 Martins were flying high at Keswick. 



A great number of Greenfinches came on board the Leman 

 and Ower light-vessel on the afternoon of October 26th. Some 

 died, and the next morning the rest joined some passing Rooks 

 and flew away to the N.W. The mate forwarded a wing for 

 identification, as he was not sure of the species. 



On January 31st, Mr. Lowne received from a bird-fancier in 

 Yarmouth a Serin supposed to have been caught on the denes ; 

 but winter is a most unlikely time of the year at which to find 

 any species here which breeds to the south of us. The specimen 

 in question is recorded in the ' Transactions of the Norfolk and 

 Norwich Naturalists' Society,' under date Feb. 5th (pp. 392, 432). 



In ' The Zoologist' for 1885 (p. G7) it is stated to be unusual 

 for Tree Sparrows to nest under tiled roofs. About two dozen 

 nestlings of this species were taken in the summer of 1887 from 

 the roof of a cottage in Keswick which stands near a river, and 

 some old ones were shot at the same time. It is evidently 

 increasing in numbers in the Eastern Counties. 



About the last day of the year a small yew bush was clipped 

 at Horstead Hall, and a few of the twigs were left under the bush. 

 A covey of Partridges had been in the habit of feeding on the 

 lawn, and on the following day the gardener found five of them 

 dead in the vicinity of the bush ; the crops were all examined 

 and contained yew leaves. There was snow on the ground at the 

 time, which perhaps prevented the birds from getting their usual 

 food, but I never before heard of birds being poisoned by yew ; 

 indeed the red berries are eaten greedily by various kinds, 



