366 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Same date. — A Kingfisher had captured a " whitebait " 

 (young herring) that be found resisted all his efforts to swallow. 

 He sat perched on the handrail against my smaller Noah's Ark, 

 and dropped it below in the grass. I found it was 3|- in. long. 

 A flock of migrant Larks came over at three in the afternoon. 



October 18th. — Saw several dead Eedwings on the beach, 

 evidently birds that had been drowned on the night of the 16th. 

 On this date I'went for my annual mid-migration walk by the 

 East Coast railway ; not a dead bird lay beneath the wires. On 

 the 21st I " did " that part of the south beach not prohibited by 

 the military and naval authorities, finding not a single stranded 

 migrant, only a petrol-bedraggled Guillemot. 



October 21st. — Pound on the south beach fragments of two 

 or three small birds ; a dead Book and Hooded Crow ; and a 

 Eed-throated Diver, as sticky with petrol as if treacled. 



Larks and Eedwings arriving freely on October 22nd, and 

 Eooks on the 23rd. 



October ^Btli. — The following carcases lying at the tide-mark : 

 Dabchick,two Black-backed Gulls, Eed-throatedDiver, Guillemot, 

 Eazorbill, Puffin, Turtle-Dove, Hooded Crow. 



Saw a Scoter (probably a pricked bird) sitting on the sand 

 at the edge of the sea ; on seeing me it flew out in a half-circle, 

 and again alighted, waddled along most awkwardly, and again 

 squatted, until I wearied of watching it. By the telegraph wires 

 beside the railway I found a dead Pipit and two Starlings, one 

 of which had cut off a wing completely by the force of impact, 

 the severed member lying some inches away from the body. 

 The other Starling had struck the side of the head, chafing the 

 feathers off. the skin showing contusions. 



October '2,7th. — A friend informed me that he had seen on 

 that date on Breydon seven Whooper Swans and thirty- seven 

 Geese, probably Grey-Lags ; several Wigeon. He also killed 

 several Wigeon on the 29th. 



Michaelmas Daisy. — The seeds of this plant are a favourite 

 morsel with many birds. On October 30th I observed Grey 

 Linnets and Skylarks busy on a rond devouring them ; I saw 

 some domestic Ducks the previous week busy at the same 

 occupation, dipping their bills in the water with every billful. 

 On October 30th 1 observed a Buzzard being badly bullied by 



