1320 Birds. 



Lowestofft in Suffolk, in the month of April, 1845. It was walking 

 slowly in a barley field, apparently intent on searching for food, and 

 was killed without difficulty. The wind had for some time previous 

 been easterly. We are not aware of any other recent instance of the 

 occurrence of the crane in this district. " Cranes," says Sir Thomas 

 Browne " are often seen here in hard winters, especially about the 

 champian and fieldy part. It seems they have been more plentiful, 

 for in a bill of fare when the mayor entertained the Duke of Norfolk, 

 I met with cranes in a dish." This surmise is probably correct, for 

 in the household accounts of the Lestranges, already quoted, the 

 crane although not very often mentioned, is only valued at 6d. The 

 "cranne" is one of the first birds mentioned in these accounts, 

 as having been killed with the gun in the year 1533. 



Common Heron, Ardea cinerea. Common throughout the year, 

 and breeds with us. 



The discontinuance of hawking, of which herons were the favourite 

 victims, and for which they were carefully preserved, and the conse- 

 quent dispersion of the larger heronries, has caused the establishment 

 of numerous smaller colonies of these birds, but the number of herons 

 which frequent most of these localities is very limited. The herons 

 begin to repair to their nests early in February, and leave them about 

 the end of August, dispersing themselves through the marshy parts of 

 the county during the remaining months. They usually rear two 

 broods in the course of the year, and a notion is prevalent among the 

 country people, that the second set of eggs, is incubated by the young- 

 birds of the first brood. It is perhaps worth remarking, that when 

 the herons drop any of the food which they bring to their young, 

 among the trees of the heronry, they make no attempt to recover it, 

 but, probably from a consciousness of their inability to rise from the 

 ground in a confined space, allow it to remain w T here it falls. 



The food of the heron is well known to be somewhat miscellaneous. 

 During the nesting season, it appears to consist chiefly of eels, and 

 water rats, the fur of which latter they are observed to reproduce in 

 pellets, after the manner of birds of prey. 



We may add that we have found the remains of water beetles and 

 boat-flies in the stomach of this species. 



Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea. Occurs in Norfolk, but is a rare 

 and accidental visiter. It is probably this species which is described 

 by Sir Thomas Browne under the name of " Black Heron." 



Great White Heron, Ardea alba. With the exception of the Suf- 

 folk specimen, mentioned by Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear, we 



