400 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



on March 24th ; and Mr. Southwell heard of a Hoopoe " found 

 dead" at Walcot on April 18th. The parish of Keswick was, as 

 usual, full of Redstarts, and a brood hatched off in a pump. The 

 female appeared to have a white forehead. 



A nest of three perfectly white Blackbirds with pink eyes and 

 yellow beaks was found at Harleston, and the finder realised 

 £6 for them. The exact date of this and the next event I do 

 not know. A stack having been thrashed by Mr. Trafford, at 

 Wroxham, which is near Hoveton Gullery, was full of mice, 

 which the Black-headed Gulls soon found out. They came in 

 numbers and made a meal of the mice as they tried to escape, 

 the quick eyes of the Gulls detecting many which but for them 

 would have got away. Some birds of this species, which I used 

 to keep alive, ate toads, leaving their picked skeletons by the 

 pond they came from. 



On June 24th an Owl killed a young Pheasant at Northrepps, 

 severed the head from the body and ate most of its back. Next 

 morning it was trapped on the Pheasant, and proved to be a 

 Long-eared Owl. The Pheasant was six weeks old and a well- 

 grown bird, quite two-thirds the size of the Owl, which latter 

 had nothing inside it but the pheasant's feathers, some of which 

 I enclose for your inspection. The Barn Owl, as Mr. Nicholson 

 says (p. 271), is " a true farmer's friend," and very rarely touches 

 game, but I cannot altogether exculpate the Long-eared Owl. 



An Eared Grebe, accompanied by some young ones, of which 

 it may or may not have been the parent, was seen at Rockland, on 

 July 28th, by Messrs. E. and W. H. Bidwell (see p. 358). They 

 disappeared into the reeds, and none of them were visible next 

 day on the broad, which is choked with weeds and full of Pike. 



Mr. G. Smith reported an immature Two-barred Crossbill at 

 Yarmouth on August 7th. A white variety of the Common Sand- 

 piper was seen on the 18th, at Cley, by Mr.Pashley, who was too 

 near to allow of any mistake, besides being much too familiar with 

 all kinds of Cley birds ; but it was not to be seen when I was there 

 the next day. On the 29th a Siberian Pectoral Sandpiper was 

 shot at Breydon, of which full particulars have already appeared 

 (p. 35G). The sternum, which was, I believe, sent to Professor 

 Newton, measured 1*1 in. 



On September 2nd, a female Grey-headed Wagtail on the 

 beach at Cley. The following day a pied Wheatear was seen ai 



