128 THE ZOOLOGIST 
formerly, but it is only met with upon the coast. In May, 1885, 
it was described in ‘The Zoologist’ as a very rare Norfolk bird, 
but no one could say that of it now; its migratory line of flight 
appears to be especially between Caistor and Southwold in 
Suffolk. During fifteen years I never met with it at Cromer, 
and regard the example said to have been seen near there on 
May 15th, 1872, as doubtful. Mr. Patterson also saw a Wheat- 
ear in Yarmouth Park, and the following day Mr. B. B. Riviere 
saw two Wheatears at Croxton, which is near Thetford. If 
these Wheatears had just come from the south, which I do not 
think likely, they must have been moving in the teeth of a 
north-easterly gale, which was registered at Yarmouth as force 8. 
That would be a very high wind, and if it prevailed on the Con- 
tinent would be sufficient to blow them from Southern Russia, 
whence so many other involuntary migrants are supposed to 
come to England. 
31st.—Complaints of the damage done to the pear-tree buds 
at Neatishead by Blue Tits (M. Bird), but a gentleman who shot 
thirty-eight of them must remember that they eat a great many 
larve as well. In the opinion of the late Prof. Newton, Titmice 
were to be regarded as benefactors to the horticulturist rather 
than the contrary. 
APRIL. 
10th.—Barn-Owls’ Nests and their Contents.—The Barn-Owl 
is a quaint and useful bird, and, happily for agriculturists, it is 
generally distributed, so that there are few parishes of any 
extent in Norfolk where its weird shriek cannot be heard. , A - 
measure of protection is accorded to them, yet their numbers 
hardly seem to increase, which certainly is not for lack of field- 
mice, of which we have plenty. As far as my experience goes 
in this county, the idea that they sometimes eat the young of 
tame pigeons in dove-cots, though still prevalent, is absolutely 
without foundation. ‘To-day, although the wind was not high, 
a large pollard oak near my house blew down, which I regretted 
the more because it had long been a haunt of the Barn-Owl. As 
was to be expected, there were plenty of pellets in the cavity of 
its trunk, some of which were so dried that they may have been — 
cast up twelve months or more. With some assistance I collected — 
114, and had them soaked in water. The result was the skulls, 

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