88 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



nothing but shoot in that particular neighbourhood, obtaining 

 unusually good sport. On one occasion he secured a Mallard in 

 a most unexpected manner ; hearing an unusual clamour among 

 some tame Ducks kept hard by, he went out to see the reason of 

 it. To his astonishment he at length discovered a Mallard sitting 

 on the ridge-tiles of an adjoining house. It was but the matter 

 of a few moments to slip back for his gun, and on his prompt 

 return he shot at and killed that venturesome fowl. 



When skinning a couple of Coots, after they had been feeding 

 for about a fortnight on the Zostera, I found them exceedingly 

 plump and fat ; their stomachs and intestines were packed with 

 doubled-up " grass "-blades in various stages of digestion. The 

 fresher grass still hung from their bills. I found a couple of 

 small winkles in one of them. 



January 5th, 1907. — Yesterday a fine female Goosander was 

 brought to me for identification ; it was shot at Buckenham, 

 where fowl during the past two or three days have been abun- 

 dant. A few Goosanders and Smews — " Sawbills " — that only 

 visit us in any numbers in very severe weather, appear to have 

 kept off Breyclon, although some Smews visited the upper parts 

 of it, and frequented the rivers. 



I went this afternoon to Belton and St. Olaves, and had a chat 

 with one or two of my friends who like to watch birds, preferably 

 down the barrel of a gun. In the washhouse of one hung some 

 Coots and Ducks, and a bunch of Snipe — four Common and two 

 Jacks. A young urchin, who had just left school to work in a 

 cowshed, passed his noon hours during the bad weather near a 

 ditch frequented by Snipe. He obtained three or four small 

 spring-traps, and placed them in the water near where he saw 

 footprints ; these Snipe were the proceeds of a few hours' work. 

 The boy's father — a Mr. Brooks — assured me that thousands of 

 Snipe came to the marshes just before the snowstorm, and they 

 had haunted also the ronds and saltings. They were so put out 

 by its continuance that seven were seen with Dunlins on the 

 mud-flats. 



Brooks assured me he might have shot a pair of Smews on 

 the river at Burgh, but, being eager to secure a Mallard swim- 

 ming close by, in the end missed them all. Several Dabchicks 

 frequented the river there. Geese in flocks of seventeen, twelve, 



