206 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



the morning five more flocks,, averaging from fifty to a hundred 

 birds. 



April. 



12th. — S.E., 3. On this date a White-eyed or Nyroca drake 

 was observed on one of the protected Broads by the head keeper^ 

 who in this instance is a very accurate observer. He remarked, 

 as he had done on a previous occasion, that this species is fonder 

 of the reeds than the Tufted Duck, which keeps more in the 

 open water, an observation which we were afterwards able to 

 confirm. 



15th. — S.W., 2. In company with Dr. S. K. Long I had an 

 opportunity of seeing the Nyroca t mentioned on the 12th, and 

 of comparing its carriage and appearance with some Tufted 

 Ducks, of which there were about thirty on the Broad. On the 

 wing the Nyroca struck us both as being distinctly smaller than 

 the Tufted Ducks ; the plumage was also much redder, but the 

 white chin-spot was not visible without a glass. This Duck was 

 still on the Broad on the 21st, but the keeper could not see that 

 it had a companion, and in May it finally disappeared. There 

 was also a nice flock of eight Golden-eye Ducks t on the 

 Broad. They seem to be fond of this Broad, for the observer 

 before mentioned, who lives on the spot, reckoned that there 

 were sixty at the end of March. Coots are also very plentiful 

 here, and the same naturalist tells me that in November and 

 December he often hears them coming in from the sea at night. 

 For the description of a successful Coot shoot, see * Norwich 

 Nat. Tr.,' vii, p. 267. 



[Two White-naped Cranes {Grus leucauchen) thought to 

 have flown from the Duke of Bedford's park at Woburn, 

 appeared on the Earl of Leicester's lake at Holkam.] 



16th. — A Long-eared Owl's nest t on the ground at Potter- 

 Heigham, see 'Norwich Nat. Tr.' (vol. x, p. 38), but such a 

 situation is less uncommon than is generally supposed. In 

 1899 the Eev. M. C. Bird met with an instance in this same 

 neighbourhood, and other cases might be cited. It was during 

 this month that Mr. Bird found a Long-eared Owl breeding in 

 an old Wood-Pigeon's nest, which I only mention because on a 

 subsequent visit there were thirteen dead mice in the nest. 



