448 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



or which I have any suspicion of having been recorded more than 

 once, I think we may venture to claim the very large total of 

 between eleven and twelve hundred of these beautiful birds as 

 having been seen in this county alone, exclusive of those killed, 

 which will be made the subject of a separate estimate. 



Mortality in Norfolk. — In endeavouring to arrive at an 

 accurate estimate of the number of Sand Grouse killed in this 

 county, a like difficulty arises as in the previous section, and from 

 the same causes. It has frequently happened that the same birds 

 have been recorded by more than one observer, and in some 

 cases the dates and even the localities have been inexact, thus 

 increasing the confusion. I have endeavoured to avoid these 

 repetitions, and although I may not have been entirely successful, 

 I think I have erred on the side of prudence ; it is also quite 

 certain that many birds have been killed of which I have no 

 record. I think therefore in the following estimate I have rather 

 under- than over-stated the number killed in each month. 

 I estimate that there were 10 killed in May ; 70 in June ; 27 in 

 July ; 17 in August ; 6 in September ; 56 in October ; or a total 

 of 186 to 31st of October. 



In many instances I was unable to ascertain the sex of the 

 birds killed ; but, so far as I am able to form an opinion, the 

 numbers of each sex appear about equal, and nothing that has 

 come under my observation leads me to suppose that they are 

 either polygamous, or that the sexes during the months named 

 are to be found in separate flocks. 



Habits as observed in Norfolk. — Of the general habits I 

 can say but little from personal observation, but Mr. Wood, 

 of Morston, who has had a large flock under his close observa- 

 tion for some months, tells me that they frequent the same fields 

 with great regularity ; their favourite feeding-place being a large 

 clover layer, from which, if disturbed, they fly across to some 

 adjacent turnip-fields, choosing the bare patches for their 

 feeding-ground ; here they spread over a circle of some thirty or 

 forty yards, separating, and diligently searching the ground until 

 they appear to have exhausted the food in that particular 

 locality, when they all rise togethe'r and repair to a fresh spot, 

 which they exhaust in like manner. At stated times they depart 

 for the salt marshes adjacent. On the Wells marshes, Mr. 

 Napier tells me, they also keep together in flocks, which number 



