Birds. 8713 



sand grouse, I took my gun to look for these strange birds, but found 

 the covey had dwindled to three, out of which I was lucky enough to 

 shoot one, which is now being stuffed at Mr. Alcock's of Blakeney." 



June 24. — One male killed at Waxham, where four of the earlier 

 specimens were obtained. Mr. Harvey, of Waxham, who shot it him- 

 self, says, " This bird was killed in a turnip field near the sea-banks ; 

 another was seen the same day about the same place, supposed to be 

 a hen. On Friday (26th), about 10 a.m., a flock of from twelve to 

 fifteen flew over the sea-banks in a south-east direction. They fly in 

 the same order as wild-fowl, and frequently utter a peculiar clicking 

 noise." 



June 24. — One female at Kessingland, Suffolk. This bird was sent 

 up to Norwich to be stuffed for Mr. Crowfoot, of Kessingland, who in 

 answer to my inquiries informs me that it was killed on that part of 

 the coast, by a labouring man, out of a flock of twelve or fourteen 

 which had frequented Mr. Bean's farm, near the cliff, for a fortnight 

 previously. About a week since a flock of fifty or sixty strange birds 

 were seen flying to the southward in one flock, by some men ploughing 

 near the marshes adjacent to the sea. 



June 25. — A male killed somewhere in Suffolk, on the authority of 

 Mr. Spalding, of Westleton. 



June 26. — Four females from Blakeney, Norfolk. These birds were 

 sent up to Norwich to be stuffed on the 27th, and on examination I 

 found the ovaries, in all but one, more developed than in any previous 

 specimens — some eggs as large as hemp-seeds; and several of the 

 quill-feathers in the wings had been recently moulted. 



June? — In the 'Field' of June 27th, Mr. Ward, taxidermist, of 

 Yere Street, London, speaks of a female from Norfolk which had just 

 come into his hands, and adds that this bird appeared to have laid 

 " all its eggs but two, and these Vere about the size of hazel-nuts." 

 This announcement seems rather extraordinary, since none of those 

 examined by myself, or by any one of whom I have made inquiries, 

 have -contained eggs larger than hemp-seeds; others not half the size, 

 and the main cluster extremely minute. In one bird I counted 

 between fifty and sixty eggs of all sizes, and yet these were not all the 

 ovaries contained ; the largest, and therefore those which would form 

 the first sittings, numbering about six or eight. Surely, then, we can- 

 not imagine that this one female had already been so robbed as 

 to have exhausted all her store but two. May we not rather suppose 

 that in some way or other a mistake has arisen, and, the skin having 

 VOL. XXI. 3 F 



