124 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



is strictly a pairing song, being no doubt provoked by the shoot- 

 ing, as Pheasants respond to thunder, or a Turkey-cock to a 

 whistle. Gould, and previously Latham, both allude to certain 

 dilatable membranes in the throat of the Bittern, which it is 

 supposed produce this sound ; but I have searched for them 

 without finding anything more than one would expect to see in 

 the neck of a Heron. 



28th. — It may be remembered that in January, 1895, Little 

 Auks were scattered broadcast along the sea-lines of Yorkshire, 

 Lincolnshire, and Norfolk, while three hundred dead ones were 

 counted in the latter county alone. A repetition of this mortality 

 took place during the months of February and March, 1900 (six 

 weeks later than five years ago), when quite as many or more 

 were picked up in Norfolk, but fewer were found inland ; and the 

 incursion was not so marked in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (c/. 

 'Naturalist,' p. 140) as in 1895, although I learn from Mr. W. A. 

 Dutt that many were picked up around Lowestoft, in Suffolk. 

 The brunt of the incursion expended itself in a space of about 

 fifty miles extending from the Wash to Lowestoft, and reaching 

 its maximum at Cley, where the first intimation Mr. Pashley 

 received of tbis important movement was from two being shot 

 and one picked up on Feb. 26th. Between that date and March 

 14th they were brought to his house by many persons, even 

 sometimes in baskets, and many when picked up were still alive. 

 One man told Mr. Pashley that he found thirty-two between the 

 rocket-post at Salthouse and Harbour Point. Others were picked 

 up at more inland localities, such as Hempstead, Thornage, Bay- 

 field, and Glanford. On March 20th, 21st, and 22nd the wind 

 became easterly, and he was told that about thirty more Little 

 Auks and seven Pufl&ns had been counted on the shore. All this 

 week, writes Mr. Pashley, there were frosts and hailstorms, and 

 on March 27th, the wind then being north-west, more Pufi&ns and 

 Razorbills were washed up, together with the fossilized core of a 

 large horn. In such weather it was obvious that the Alcidce 

 could obtain no fish, which descend to greater depths when the 

 sea is troubled. The first example at Yarmouth was notified by 

 Mr. Dye on Feb. 24th, an earlier date than for Cley, and thirty 

 more soon afterwards, chiefly taken at Caistor and Winterton, 

 by Mr. Patterson, who handled two recently dead on April 4th. 



