( 113 ) 



ORNITHOLOGICAL RECORD FROM NORFOLK 



FOR 1898. 



By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S. 

 (Assisted by other Local Naturalists.) 



As usual, with the Editor's permission, I apply myself to the 

 office of coroner for the birds of the county, but am glad to say 

 an East Anglian naturalist's note-book is not such a death-roll 

 as it used to be, except for Hawks and Owls, the law seeming to 

 be a dead letter as regards these birds. A more self-opinionated 

 race than gamekeepers does not exist. One of the fraternity 

 remarked in my hearing that he did not think the Kestrel did 

 much harm, but he added significantly, " It is all the same to me; 

 if I have my gun, I shoot all Hawks.'' I think all masters should 

 forbid indiscriminate shooting. Surely there is no preserver of 

 game to whom it would not be mortifying to see a beautiful 

 Kestrel swinging in a post-trap, which in its last struggles (per- 

 haps with " Velveteens " looking on) has thrown up a large pellet 

 of beetles' wings ; and this was witnessed on the 16th of August, 

 when there was no excuse for setting a pole-trap. The keeper's 

 onslaughts on the Sparrow-Hawk may be pardoned, because this 

 thief is almost entirely a bird-eater, and there is no fear of his 

 exterminating that species while so many arrive both by night 

 and day. They must still be very common somewhere. I do 

 not wish to give the pretty Butcher-bird a bad name, but I have 

 it on pretty good authority that our Red-backed Shrike was again 

 convicted of killing some very small Pheasants at Cromer. This 

 is no surprise to anyone who has seen this strong bird carrying 

 off in its feet a prey half as big as itself, but keepers should know 

 that the large yellow-tailed Humble-bee is its favourite food. 



Another deadly robber of game-eggs is the Carrion Crow, but 



for all that I am glad to say they have again this summer nested 



by the river at Keswick, though not in their old plantation. We 



found the nest, which is always a large construction, with a very 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. III., March, 18m. I 



