on Ornithological Report for Norfolk.



101



Having been unconsciously introduced into Norfolk from the Con¬

tinent some sixteen years ago, as is supposed, the strain continues to

crop up from time to time, in spite of not being spared by shooters.

To-day one of these red birds was killed at Bylaugh, and for¬

warded to Mr. T. E. Gunn. Another was seen in the spring at

Cranmer, paired with a Partridge of the ordinary colour, where,

Mr. Hamond was informed, they bred, and that the young were

normal.


October 12th.—A Blackbird with a handsome white hack at

Northrepps, in the same lane where I remember a pied one on

September 28th, 1908; if it was the same bird it had grown a good

deal whiter in thirty-five months.


28th. — One of the so-called Sabine’s Snipes, now known to be

only a melanism, was shot out of a field of turnips at Beeston, near

Cromer, by Dr. W. Sumpter, and was ascertained to be a male by

Mr. Pashley.


November 2oth. — A nearly white Redwing shot at Framling-

ham (Roberts) ; last autumn, it will be remembered, three varieties

of this species were recorded.


Hybrid Swan x Goose.


On July 26th, through the courtesy of its owner, Mrs. N. E.

Reynolds, I had an opportunity of examining the hybrid Mute Swan,

of which I contributed an illustration last year (‘Zool.,’ 1911, p. 161),

and which a great many people have since been to see, as it is

thought a great curiosity. The beak and legs of this singular cross¬

bred Swan are orange-yellow, and the feet large, a point noticed by

the farm-servant when she assisted in liberating it from the egg.

But the most striking feature about the bird is its long, thick neck,

which, with the head and tail, are now almost white, the back and

body only remaining blotched with slate-colour. The call of this

hybrid is said to be fairly distinct from that of its parents, but I did

not hear it. It generally lives by itself on a pond at Beeston, some¬

times flying half a mile or so and returning. The Swan, which is its

father, strongly objects to having it on the same piece of water, and

this jealousy is thought by Mrs. Reynolds to mean that her hybrid is

a male.



