420 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Mr. W. D. Ward, of King's Lynn, informs me lie killed, with 

 his punt-gun, on Sept. 18th, two out of three Avocets in that 

 localitj^ and gave them to his friend Mr. Thompson, who has 

 had them preserved. 



Mr. Ward also shot a male Spotted Eedshank on Sept. 13th, 

 an adult bird, retaining traces of its summer plumage. The 

 base of lower mandible was deep red, as also were the legs and 

 feet, the same parts in spring and summer being of a deep 

 claret-colour. 



Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., sent me for preservation a white 

 variety of the Ringed Plover that he had shot at Cley on Sept. 

 1st, an immature specimen, and a female by dissection. Irides 

 pale brown; legs pale straw-colour; the entire surface of the 

 dorsal plumage creamy white, with a crescent on each side of the 

 neck of a pale ashy brown ; as also are the outer edges of the 

 primaries and the centres of the middle tail-feathers. I remounted 

 a similar varietj^, obtained in Norfolk four years ago, for Mr. H. 

 M. Upcher, of Feltwell. 



Early in February an adult male Bittern was shot by Mr. R. 

 Johnson in the neighbourhood of Tunstead ; it weighed 2 lbs. 

 2j ozs. On Dec. 1st a female specimen was killed at Benacre, 

 near Wangford, by a gamekeeper. The ovary contained minute 

 eggs, and in the stomach were remains of a sharp-nosed eel, 

 fragments of the elytra of a beetle, and bits of weed, as well as 

 stems of reeds and several shrimps. 



Two examples of the Egyptian Goose were killed on the 

 marshes of Barford on Dec. 17th, one being a line old male. 



An adult male Goosander was shot by the Rev. J. R. Lane 

 on the River Wensum, at Tatterford, on Feb. 10th. It was in 

 splendid plumage, with a rich salmon-coloured breast ; iris deep 

 red. Both the gullet and stomach contained the remains of 

 roach, and a quantity of minute pebbles. On Feb. 25th, on the 

 Bure, at Wroxham, I caught sight of a male Goosander about 

 100 yards off in one of the smaller broads, and two days later I 

 received two adult males that were killed on the upper lake o,t 

 Gunton. Lord Kimberley informed me that he had noticed 

 several Goosanders on his lake at Kimberley in Dec, 1886, and 

 Jan., 1887. The majority appeared to be old birds, several of 

 them males, which are easily distinguished, even at a considerable 

 distance, by their conspicuous plumage. The Rev. H. H. 



