NOTES AND QUERIES. 



239 



season of this year ; so that there will be do danger to reproduction through 

 too early nesting, which sometimes is a risk when cold weather sets in later 

 in the year. A Robin, which may be reasonably supposed to have made my 

 stable its shelter up to this its tenth winter, was crushed by a horse a week 

 or two ago ; it was acquainted with all the customs of the place. One at 

 least appeared in the autumn that the stable was first in use, returning 

 every following year, until its peculiar habits drew attention to it.— W. 

 Wilson (Alford, N.B.). 



Notes from Norfolk. — Fritton Decoy. Mr. Patterson (ante, p. 160) 

 gives the catch of fowl in Sir Savile Crossley's decoy at Fritton for the 

 season 1887-8. As that season was described by the decoy man as a bad 

 one, "not many fowl on the decoy, plenty of Wigeon after the 1st March," 

 which, as usual, were too late to add to the return, perhaps readers may 

 like to know what was done in the past season, which in the months of 

 December, January, and part of February was a very favourable one. I 

 therefore send the following return : — 





Duck. 



Teal. 



Wigeon. 



Pintail. 



1899. 



October 



November 



67 



56 



1529 



561 



472 



4 

 13 



4 



1 



2 



10 



— 



December 





1900. 

 January 





February 



2 



March 









Total, 2721 



2685 



21 



13 



2 



The average take for the past thirty-eight seasons has been 989. It has 

 often been said that perfect seclusion is an absolute requisite for the 

 successful working of a decoy. In this instance, although the pipes and 

 the adjacent water are kept perfectly quiet, a high road runs at a very 

 short distance from the decoy, and the Ducks may be seen on the water 

 from passing vehicles. Little inconvenience is experienced from this, as 

 the fowl soon become accustomed to such sights, and it is only sudden or 

 strange sights or sounds which cause alarm. Very few Teal are taken 

 here now, and only an occasional Wigeon, as the decoy is not worked after 

 the end of February, which is too early for the spring migration of these 

 birds. The only other fowl are a few Pintails, and now and then a 

 Shoveler, Goosander, or Coot. — Thomas Southwell (Norwich). 



Nesting Notes. — Mr. Aplin is quite correct in noting (ante, p. 143) my 

 omission of the Robin from the list of birds which have used nesting-boxes 



