ORNITHOLOGICAL REPORT FOR NORFOLK. 123 



January. 



The year opened with a mild day ; the snow all gone. Beyond 

 the presence of a few Goosanderp, a brace of Whooper Swans 

 seen by Mr. L. C. Farmer, and a Goldeneye at Hoveton, there 

 is not much in my note-book to record. On the 21st the frost 

 set in again, and on the 25th, with eleven degrees, a frozen-out 

 Swanf was seen to fly over Keswick, probably only a Mute Swan. 



9th. — Mr. Bird notes twelve Long-eared Owls seen, a Greater 

 Spotted Woodpecker, and a "trip" of Goldfinches, and two 

 days afterwards five Goldeneye Ducks in their handsome adult 

 plumage, which is only to be met with after Christmas. 



19th. — During this month and the last days of December, 

 1908, Mr. F. Coburn, of Birmingham, obtained no fewer than 

 fourteen examples of the Pacific, or Black, Brent Goose (Bemicla 

 nigricans (Laur.) ) — of which a figure is given in ' The Zoologist ' 

 for 1908 (Plate I.) — from King's Lynn, all of which had been 

 shot in the Wash, and were possibly members of one and the 

 same flock. Two of them were killed on Jan. 19th, and seven 

 more on the 26th. This is a valuable series, as Mr. Coburn has 

 now all grades from the first plumage without any white on the 

 neck up to adults of both sexes. He now considers that at all 

 ages and seasons, and in both sexes, the black or slaty-black 

 under parts are constant, and that after the first plumage there 

 is always a larger amount of white on the neck. He finds 

 females to be of a paler slaty black than males. 



29th. — An adult Iceland Gull, shot on the Thurne, near 



Yarmouth, as I learn from Mr. E. C. Saunders, who also informs 



me that a younger one was killed near there on the 20th, but I 



have not seen these. 



February. 



1st. — The Pied Wagtail returned to Keswick with its accus- 

 tomed regularity, and, as signs of spring, on the 4th the Sky-Lark 

 and Robin were in song at Brunstead. 



10th. — A Black-breasted Dipper shot at Coltishall, where it 

 had been about for several days (S. H. Long). Mr. Barclay 

 informs me that his keeper's dog put up a Bittern when searching 

 a reed-bed at Hoveton for a wounded Duck. Of course it was 

 not shot ; indeed, there is now a general desire among Broad- 

 owners to protect Bitterns. 



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