ORNITHOLOGICAL RECORD FOR NORFOLK. 127 



31st. In 1893 there were thirteen on the broad, on April 

 28th, and eleven more in May and June. In 1894 the watcher 

 saw sixteen, on May 13th ; and in 1895 a flock of twelve, on 

 May 5th, which remained until the 13th. There have been eight 

 at least during the present year. Thus in ten springs and 

 summers (for they seldom come after August) eighty-four Spoon- 

 bills have visited this one Norfolk broad, which has long been 

 known — since 1851 — to have far more attractions for this species 

 than the mud-flats at Blakeney. Surely if our gunners would 

 be considerate enough to let this grand bird alone, the woods of 

 Cauntele (Cantley) and Castre by Jernemuth (Caister by Yarmouth) 

 might rejoice in its presence again in breeding time (cf Prof. 

 Newton, Norf. Norw. tr. vi. p. 158). It was here probably that 

 in the sixteenth century William Turner, dean of Wells, came 

 to see the Cormorants and Herons building in high trees, but he 

 says nothing about Spoonbills ; however, in the seventeenth 

 century they were still nesting at Claxton and Reedham, parishes 

 on the Bure, five miles apart, Cantley lying between them. These 

 places are all within a few miles of Breydon Broad, and it is im- 

 possible to resist the conviction that with adequate protection 

 Spoonbills might return to one or other of them. 



January. 



1st. — A beautiful New Year's Day with which to begin the 

 year; weather very mild, and Hawfinch on the lawn. 



3rd. — A Grey Shrike caught at Davy Hill, Runton. Placed 

 in a cage, it quickly hung up small birds and pieces of raw meat 

 on thorns supplied it by my brother for that purpose, and then 

 by sheer force of body and beak, for which the shape of the 

 mandible is exactly adapted, wrenched at them, until they were 

 torn in pieces. It lived a long time, but would eat no food at all 

 without first tugging at it with all its might, its whole body 

 working like a lever ; it is probably solely for the purpose and 

 facility of tugging that Shrikes impale, and not with any idea 

 of storing up a hoard of food. With closed wings this interesting 

 bird had only one white wing-spot, but with wings unfolded a 

 second spot became visible. Some years ago a Grey Shrike was 

 killed near Cromer, a very pale bird, which showed three fairly 

 distinct white wing- spots, and was perhaps Lanius leucopterus, 



