TWENTY YEARS ON THE NORFOLK FENS. 355 



Yellow Wagtail. — The Yellow Wagtail is only second to 

 the Skylark in breeding numbers. Annually, at the beginning of 

 April, a large number of these handsome birds visit us, and I 

 have seen some scores of them dotted about the fens. Their 

 bright yellow plumage very much resembles the blossom of the 

 dandelion, which at that time abounds in the locality. I fail to 

 see any decrease on the part of the Yellow Wagtail in the 

 district. 



Pied Wagtail. — A pair or two of these nest on the fens, the 

 majority taking to the uplands. I have taken some curious eggs 

 of this species, and have on several occasions found their nests 

 inhabited by a young Cuckoo. We have a liberal supply of Pied 

 Wagtails in Norfolk. 



Pheasants. — Pheasants breed all along the verge of the fens, 

 and they seem to thrive and do well on these lowlands. Several 

 breed amongst the tall grass by the side of the river Waveney. 



Partridges.— Both the English and Ked-legged Partridges 

 nest on the fens, the former in numbers, the latter having very 

 much decreased in the locality of late years. We have not a tithe 

 of the number we had ten years ago. 



A friend of mine in this neighbourhood commenced to make a 

 collection of rare birds with his own gun. To give the readers of 

 this Journal an idea of what Norfolk contains in the shape of avi- 

 fauna, I will mention some of the rarest of the species he obtained, 

 all shot within the last twenty years and within a few miles of 

 my home ; such as, Avocet, Spoonbill, Bittern, Scoter, Scaup, 

 Shovellers, Smew, Gargany Teal, Spotted Redshank, Green- 

 shank, Red-throated Diver, Common Arctic and Black Terns 

 (a Sandwich Tern fell to his gun, but he failed to secure it), 

 Little Gull, Pallas's Sand Grouse, Ring Ouzel, Woodlark, 

 Grasshopper Warbler, and Pied Flycatcher. Besides many other 

 waders, he also secured the following: — Curlew, Whimbrel, 

 Golden and Grey Plovers in summer plumage, Turnstone, 

 Sanderling, Little Stint, Temminck's Stint, besides a number 

 of commoner species. 



Rails, &c. — The Landrail or Corn Crake is rather rare in the 

 locality. Whilst shooting at Kessingland last September I saw 

 several, probably collected near the sea-coast preparatory to 

 migration. I shot a fine specimen of the Spotted Crake by the 



