﻿216 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  Varieties 
  of 
  Plumage. 
  

   A 
  Robin 
  with 
  a 
  white 
  neck 
  (Davey), 
  a 
  white 
  Hedge- 
  Sparrow 
  

   at 
  Dersingham 
  (E. 
  Clarke), 
  a 
  cream-coloured 
  Starling 
  at 
  Cringle- 
  

   ford, 
  and 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  pied 
  Blackbirds 
  are 
  varieties 
  of 
  no 
  great 
  

   account 
  ; 
  nor 
  was 
  the 
  white 
  Swallow 
  seen 
  at 
  Bixley 
  on 
  Oct. 
  14th 
  

   very 
  rare. 
  Mr. 
  Southwell 
  has 
  recorded 
  two 
  albino 
  Moorhens, 
  

   entirely 
  white 
  with 
  pink 
  eyes 
  and 
  yellow 
  legs 
  (Zool. 
  1903, 
  p. 
  351). 
  

   I 
  am 
  told 
  their 
  want 
  of 
  colour 
  was 
  detected 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  

   mere 
  nestlings, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  frequently 
  seen 
  and 
  watched 
  as 
  

   they 
  grew 
  larger 
  (W. 
  Lowne). 
  

  

  Nidification 
  of 
  the 
  Common 
  Tern 
  {Sterna 
  fluviatilis). 
  

  

  The 
  Common 
  and 
  Lesser 
  Terns 
  again 
  had 
  a 
  successful 
  nesting 
  

   season 
  at 
  our 
  chief 
  station, 
  and 
  the 
  Ringed 
  Plovers 
  also, 
  thanks 
  

   to 
  the 
  watcher 
  put 
  on 
  by 
  the 
  local 
  protection 
  society, 
  of 
  which 
  

   Mr. 
  Q. 
  E. 
  Gurney 
  is 
  secretary, 
  but 
  the 
  Oystercatcher, 
  I 
  am 
  told, 
  

   no 
  longer 
  nests 
  there. 
  Mr. 
  Pinchin, 
  who 
  is 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  these 
  

   Terns, 
  is 
  confident 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  hundred 
  nests 
  

   of 
  S. 
  fluviatilis 
  with 
  eggs 
  in 
  at 
  one 
  time. 
  As 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  Terns 
  

   doubtless 
  breed 
  twice, 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  ones 
  brought 
  

   off 
  ought 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  1100, 
  nearly 
  every 
  nest 
  containing 
  

   its 
  clutch 
  of 
  three 
  eggs 
  lying 
  snug 
  in 
  a 
  wisp 
  of 
  grass. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Pinchin 
  commenced 
  watching 
  on 
  May 
  25th, 
  on 
  which 
  

   day 
  he 
  found 
  several 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Lesser 
  Tern, 
  which 
  on 
  our 
  

   coast 
  lays 
  rather 
  earlier 
  than 
  S. 
  fluviatilis, 
  and 
  generally 
  apart 
  

   from 
  them. 
  He 
  tells 
  me 
  he 
  found 
  no 
  young 
  S. 
  fluviatilis 
  until 
  

   June 
  14th, 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  18th 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  were 
  runners, 
  

   and 
  many 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  hatching. 
  Just 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  a 
  

   warm 
  sun 
  is 
  very 
  helpful 
  to 
  the 
  Terns. 
  Unfortunately, 
  instead 
  

   of 
  warmth, 
  we 
  had 
  heavy 
  rains, 
  there 
  being 
  "64 
  in. 
  in 
  my 
  rain- 
  

   guage 
  on 
  two 
  occasions 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  18th 
  we 
  found 
  two 
  Lesser 
  

   Tern 
  nestlings 
  and 
  a 
  Ringed 
  Plover 
  drowned, 
  or 
  dead 
  from 
  being 
  

   uncovered. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  memoranda 
  from 
  my 
  notes 
  : 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  

   first 
  place, 
  mysterious 
  squeaking 
  can 
  be 
  distinctly 
  heard 
  inside 
  

   the 
  egg 
  before 
  it 
  hatches. 
  Then 
  follows 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  exclusion, 
  

   and 
  the 
  tiny 
  occupant 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  breaking 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  shell, 
  

   now 
  grown 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  brittle 
  as 
  the 
  inner 
  linings 
  are 
  

   absorbed 
  by 
  the 
  young 
  bird 
  itself. 
  The 
  exit 
  of 
  the 
  nestling 
  Tern 
  

  

  

  