ornithological notes from norfolk. 169 



January, 1895. 



Prevailing wind N., as registered by Mr. A. W. Preston. 



1st. Snow and frost. Great Northern Diver on a stall at 

 Yarmouth (A. Patterson), and two Little Auks, of which more 

 hereafter. 



5th. Glaucous Gull in Yarmouth market (A. Patterson), 

 and about the same date two more taken on the beach there 

 (W. Lowne). 



7th. Four or five young Glaucous Gulls appeared at Blakeney, 

 where they were immediately recognised, and in a few days three 

 of them had found their way to Mr. Pashley's, with four Kitti- 

 wakes (rather uncommon in winter), and a male and female 

 Goosander. At the same time hundreds of Golden Plover were 

 seen between Salthouse and Wells, and were abundant enough to 

 be bought of the gunners for fourpence apiece (E. Ramm). 

 Green Plovers were also very numerous around Breydon Broad, 

 and Mr. Patterson believes they were fattening on the dead 

 worms which were lying in the marshes by myriads, having been 

 killed by an extraordinary high tide. The marshes were black 

 and white with Plovers, and the oldest inhabitant had never seen 

 so many (A. Patterson). 



18th. Thirty White-fronted Geese were seen on Holkam Marsh 

 (A. Napier). 



14th. A Corncrake, which had missed its migration, and a 

 three-legged Snipe were taken to Mr. R. Clarke, of Snettisham, 

 who noticed that the former had at some time had a damaged 

 wing, which, however, had quite healed. The supplementary leg 

 in the Snipe springs from the tarsal joint, I understand, as in the 

 malformed Gull's leg figured in * The Zoologist,' 18G9, p. 1685 ; 

 on this subject see article " Monstrosities " in ' The Dictionary 

 of Birds,' p. 587. I have not seen the Snipe, which must be a 

 singular deformity. 



15th. Picked up two Fulmar Petrels on the shore, one of 

 them fresh enough to skin, a Puffin, and some Razorbills. This 

 Puffin, like two others in the flesh, had a highly-coloured beak, 

 though small, having probably shed its sheath in August. A 

 small flock of Tufted Ducks were on Salthouse Broad, long 

 reclaimed, but again under water, and allowed us to get two of 

 their number; and the same day, Mr. Ramm tells me, a Black 



