138 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



even driven to eating a dead sheep, which, with the help of one 

 or two Grey Crows, they reduced to a skeleton. A general move- 

 ment of starving Eedwings, Sky-Larks, and other land-birds 

 reported by Mr. Patterson and Mr. Knights to be taking place 

 to the shore, where the frost is much less penetrating. 



28th. — Effects of the severe Frost and Snow. — To-day, between 

 the edge of the snow and low-water mark, troops of birds were 

 seen by Mr. Patterson passing incessantly, consisting of Field- 

 fares, Blackbirds, Eedwings, Thrushes, Sky-Larks, Books, Tit- 

 Larks, Linnets, Twites, and even Goldfinches ; but I did not 

 hear of any Wood-Larks. So close were the flocks, writes Mr. 

 Patterson, that no sooner had one lot passed than another was 

 in sight. Hour after hour, some of them almost within arm's 

 length, they struggled on silent and weak for want of food. It 

 would be interesting to know what became of all this host — 

 whether they crossed the mouth of the Thames, and whether 

 after that they attempted the English Channel, or were they 

 among the thousands seen on the coast of Sussex (' Field,' 

 Jan. 5th, 1907). One effect of this severe weather was to bring 

 us a larger number of Whooper Swans than Norfolk has had for 

 sixteen years, but they went almost as rapidly as they came. 

 One flock which passed over our largest Broad is said to have 

 numbered one hundred and fifty Swans, and about the same 

 quantity were seen at Blakeney (Upcher). Probably they were 

 the same, and it may have been the breaking up of this large 

 herd which accounted for five at Northrepps, five at Ingham, 

 seven at Lowestoft (H. Bunn), thirteen at Surlingham, twenty- 

 five at Calthorpe (K. Gurney), twenty-five at Caister (Knights), 

 sixty at Breydon (Patterson), thirty-four at Fritton (H. Buxton), 

 and twenty at Hoveton. No Bewick's Swans were shot, but I 

 learn from Mr. Bird that at least one flock belonged to this 

 species. In three days' time all these Wild Swans had passed 

 on, and, as a matter of fact, I believe the greater part of them 

 did not remain in Norfolk forty-eight hours. 



Various other wildfowl of sorts were seen, including several 

 Geese and some good drake Golden-eyes, but between the frost 

 and the gunners they had a hard time of it. Mr. Arthur 

 Patterson reckons that not less than three thousand hungry 

 Coots were feeding on the roots of Zostera marina on Breydon 



