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THE ZOOLOGIST. 



THIRD SERIES. 



Vol. XII.] AUGUST, 1888. [No. J40. 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM NORFOLK AND 



SUFFOLK. 

 By T. E. Gunn, F.L.S. 



In forwarding my record of ornithological events for the year 

 1887, I am unable to note the occurrence of any special rarities 

 but the following notes may be worth publishing: — 



A peculiar-looking example of the Common Buzzard, Buteo 

 vulgaris, was killed at Honing, above Stalham, on October 19th. 

 Mr. Cubit, the owner, related to me the following particulars of 

 its capture. His gamekeeper had at different times previous to 

 the above date found remains of Pheasants, which he imagined 

 were destroyed by some large bird of prey ; he therefore baited a 

 trap with a dead hen Pheasant, and on the following day found 

 the depredator had been caught by its toes, and that, notwith- 

 standing its imprisonment, was busily engaged in feasting on the 

 bait, and was quickly dispatched by a blow from the keeper's 

 stick. Its chief point of interest is the singular form of the 

 upper mandible, half of which had been carried away by gunshot 

 some time previously, being divided in its entire length from tip 

 to base, the remaining half curved downwards, overhanging the 

 lower mandible on one side, making it difficult for it to tear its 

 prey. It proved nevertheless to be in very fair plight. Its 

 stomach was filled with portions of its prey, including a quantity 

 of feathers, the latter having apparently been plucked in bunches, 

 as if the bird, with its peculiar shaped beak, was obliged to give 

 each an extra twist to enable it to do so. I also found two 



ZOOLOGIST. — AUGUST, 1888. 7 



