152 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
of the Red Deer and of the now extinct Long-faced Ox. Near 
the centre was a circular bank of fine white earth, twenty or 
thirty feet across and about four feet in height. Not far from 
its inner circumference was a hole deeper than the rest of the 
mere, piled and evidently once wattled. Here, with the remains 
of a wall built of flints packed together with marl, were found 
bones and portions of a rudely-constructed ladder. In short, 
here were contained the remains of a lake-dwelling. Part of 
another lake-dwelling with posts of oak wood shaped and pointed 
by man was found in the mud of Wretham Great Mere in the 
year 1856. These discoveries have been scientifically described 
by Professor A. Newton and Sir C. Bunbury. 
These singular meres of Wretham are, however, chiefly 
memorable at the present day from the fact that here breed no 
fewer than seven species of Wild Duck, several of them extremely 
rare as nesting birds in the British Isles. Many other rare birds 
have likewise been procured here at various times. Thirteen 
Short-eared Owls were flushed from one pine tree at Wretham 
about twelve years ago. ‘Ten of them were shot. This was 
likewise the fate of a beautiful White-tailed Eagle shot on the 
decoy in 1892, and now preserved at Wretham Hall. Specimens 
have likewise been procured here of the Osprey, Cormorant, 
White Stork, and Crane. The last-named was shot in Septem- 
ber, 1878, and is now in the Norwich Museum. The Bean 
Goose and the Pink-footed Bean Goose frequent the open 
country about Wretham. Mr. A. W. Partridge saw a flock of 
two hundred to two hundred and fifty of the latter on a field of 
young rye. A Grey Phalarope (one of four) was shot on a pond © 
near Fowlmere in 1846. Pintail and Wigeon are winter visitors 
to the meres, the latter in fairly large numbers. The list of 
rarities that have here met their doom likewise includes speci- 
mens of the Scaup Duck, Goldeneye, Smew, and Goosander. — 
Moorhens are not uncommon, and Coots abound, their bald 
patches being noticeable in any “bunch” of wildfowl. The 
Great Crested Grebe and the Little Grebe here find a congenial 
home; the sprightly form of the irrepressible ‘‘ Dabchick” would 
be particularly missed. How often have I found his oddly- 
constructed nest a few yards from the shore with the dirty oval 
eggs covered over with the weeds of which the nest is composed. 
