ORNITHOLOGICAL REPORT FOR NORFOLK. 137 



Two Smews were also shot, and a goodly bag of Woodcocks 

 made. 



December Woodcocks. — More Woodcocks were shot in Norfolk 

 this autumn than for many a year, and December in particular 

 was very productive. Other counties shared in this welcome in- 

 vasion, and it appears from Mr. F. Boyes' communication to * The 

 Field ' that Yorkshire was greatly favoured with them, but the 

 most remarkable bag was made at Fair Island, N.B., where one 

 hundred and twenty-seven were killed in a day. Their abun- 

 dance was probably owing to an extra good breeding season in 

 Sweden and Norway, where, Mr. Buxton tells me, the close-time 

 in the latter country runs from May 31st to August 25th. I took 

 some trouble to make a list of the best bags in Norfolk, some 

 of which were : — 



Nov. 11th. Twenty-five shot at Sheringham. Dec. 1st. 

 Forty -t wo ; 3rd, nineteen; 4th, twenty-four ; all shot at Swan- 

 ton. 5th. [A large number seen at Northrepps, none shot.] 

 Twenty-two at Felbrigge. 14th. Twenty-five at Hanworth ; 

 seventeen at Grinningham. 25th. Seventeen at Stratton. 30th. 

 Thirty-six on this and two other days at Sheringham ; nineteen 

 at Witton. 31st. Sixteen at Kunton. Jan. 5th, 1909. Twenty- 

 two at Swanton. 8th. Seventeen at Grimston. 9th. Fourteen 

 at Swanton (besides the above there were many smaller bags 

 which are not here included). 18th. Up to this date one hundred 

 and thirty-three had been killed at Somerleyton, and ninety-six 

 at Felbrigge, including the twenty-two already mentioned. With 

 us the Woodcock is more of a winter than an autumn migrant ; 

 not many come to the Eastern Counties before November, and 

 the biggest arrival is as often as not late in December, and even 

 in January some come to us from over the North Sea. These 

 very late flights of Woodcocks probably precede severe weather 

 in Norway and Sweden.* 



* The above list compares favourably with the great Woodcock season 

 of 1869-70, when, according to a card printed at the time for Mr. Johnston, 

 Hempstead, Holt, and Bodham produced 142, Northrepps 54, Kunton 38, 

 Trimmingham 38, Hanworth 26, Siderstrand 25, Gresham 22, and Barning- 

 ham 22. 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. XIII.. April. 1909. 



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