ORNITHOLOGICAL REPORT FOR NORFOLK. 167 



an army of shore-gunners turned out to salute thern. Mr. Dye, 

 writing again from Yarmouth, says : " Gale continuing ; Scaup, 

 Sheld-Ducks, and Mallard going south" — there were wildfowl 

 everywhere. Going out with some friends, we got three Teal 

 and fifteen Mallard, and saw a great many more, as well as four 

 Tufted Ducks, t which were too wild to be secured. On some 

 of the Broads there were so many fowl that the water was 

 literally black with them, I was told. 



18th. — Mr. Patterson saw a flock of nearly seventy Brent 

 Geese, and a few days afterwards Mr. Dye heard of eight of these 

 birds being killed at one discharge. Examples sent to Mr. E. C. 

 Saunders included what is most probably the Pale-breasted 

 Brent (Branta b. glaucogastra (Brehm) ). They must have been 

 abundant at many other places, as later on Leadenhall Market 

 was full of them, some with pale under parts, and others very 

 dark.t 



19th. — Goosanders reported at several places on the coast- 

 line, as well as on some of our inland Broads ; one which Mr. 

 Pioberts received from Bacton, had in it a small Pike.f Some fine 

 old Golden-eyes have been shot, and at least ten adult Smews 

 passed through the hands of Mr. E. C. Saunders and others. 



20th. — Little Auks. — Following on this rush of wildfowl 

 came an invasion of Little Auks, and at the same time some 

 Slavonian and Great Crested Grebes ; these latter were, I conclude, 

 driven from inland waters to the sea. Perhaps the reason for the 

 Little Auks being later comers than the Wild Ducks and Geese 

 was that their progress would be more by swimming than by 

 flying, also that they came from further north. The first intima- 

 tion of their presence was at Cley, where several were to be seen 

 from the beach on Jan. 20th (H. N. Pashley), the same day on 

 which they were seen off Yorkshire. Examples, living and dead, 

 were speedily picked up, not only there but at many other places 

 near the sea. Others were found stranded on the shore, either 

 dead or incapable, especially at Wells, Blakeney (Pashley), Cley, 

 Salthouse, Cromer (H. Cole), Mundesley, Eccles (M. C. Bird), 

 and Yarmouth (E. C. Saunders). No attempt was made to count 

 them, but, including what were seen at sea, they must have 

 exceeded two hundred and fifty ; still, I hardly think they were 

 as numerous as in 1895, when three Norwich birdstuffers set up 



