248 



Birds, 



Sparrow-liJivvk, Accipiter Nisus. Common. Montagu's harrier, Strigiceps cineracens. 

 Brown harrier, Circus ceruginosus. Thorne moors, where it breeds. — Id.\ 



Marsh harrier, Strigicqjs pygargus. Not r. 



Note on the voracity of the Gull Tribe. The following singular instance of the vo* 

 racity of the gull tribe occurred here last week. A man who was shooting on the 

 banks of the river, seeing something which had the appearance of an eel half swallow-i 

 ed hanging from the mouth of a gull which was flying overhead, fired at the bird, an( 

 on taking it up, found, not an eel, but — five tallow candles attached to a piece o| 

 thread, to the other end of which was fastened a sixth, the latter having been almost 

 entirely swallotved. I have seen some of the candles, which are about twelve inches ii 

 length, with cotton wicks, and of a very common description, — such as are used oi 

 board the fishing boats, from the deck of one of which he had probably taken themJ 

 That which was swallowed I observed was broken in three places by the operation, 

 did not see the bird, but, judging from the man's description, and from one of the! 

 wings which he showed me, I have no doubt it was the common gull, {Larus canus).\ 

 William R. Fisher ; Great Yarmouth, June 21, 1843. 



Note on the times of arrival of some of the Summer Birds of Passage at Yarmouth, 

 in 1843. 



Stonechat, Sylvia rubicola, about April 11 Sand-martin, Hirundo riparia, ...April 30J 

 Wheatear, Vitiflora CEnanthe, ...Mar. 22 Dotterel, Charadrius Morinellus,MaT. 25] 



'B\3ickcsii^, Sylvia atricapilla, April 4 Kedshsinks, Scolopax Calidris, ...At^yiI 1 



Besixded iit, Parus biarmicus, 1 Reeve (fem.) Tringa pugnax, ...Mar. 251 



Cuckoo, Cuculus canoruSy 14 Spotted crake, G^w^/inw/aporrana April Sj 



SwsiWow, Hirundo rustica, 26 Little grebe, Po</ic^s miwor, 



The bearded tit, though it is not, I believe, usually considered a migratory species,! 

 regularly appears here in spring and autumn. It is probable that part of those whicH| 

 are bred in this country, leave us in winter and return the following spring. 



The cuckoo, I am told, was heard several days prior to that which I have men.| 

 tioned, but 1 did not meet with it before that time. 



The time of arrival of the reeve I have stated to be March 25. I saw no rafis foi 

 some days afterwards. May they not arrive separately, the reeves first ? 



The eggs of the spotted crake were taken the first week in May ; those of the red- 

 shank on the 27th of April. 



The little grebe, which does not breed anywhere near us, also regularly appears in I 

 spring and autumn. 



Hobby, {Falco subbuteo). I saw a specimen at a dealer's the last week in Febrii-! 

 ary. As this bird had probably remained the whole winter, I have not inserted it inl 

 the list of summer birds. 



Common snipe, {Scolopax Gallinago). Two eggs of this bird were brought to Yar-j 

 mouth for sale, so early as April 1 ; the nest contained four. — Id. June 22, 1843. 



Note on the times of departure of some of the Winter Birds of Passage from YarA 

 mouth, in 1843. 



Short-eared owl, Strix brachyotos, April 3 

 Snow buntiug, Emberiza nivalis, 



the last flock seen, Mar. 22 



A single specimen taken April 12 



Hooded crow, Coi-vus comix, April 2d| 



Golden plover, Charadr.pluvialis May 25 i 



Turnstone, Tringa interpres, 22] 



Sanderling, Charadrius Calidris, ... 24 



