138 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Varieties in Plumage. 



Mr. H. Wormald tells me of one of the singular chocolate- 

 coloured Partridges being near Dereham in April, and two 

 more of the same breed were seen at Hockering in September 

 (W. Boyle), and one of a cream-colour at Crostwick in June 

 (W. G. Clarke). No other varieties of birds call for special re- 

 mark during 1908, except that on Dec. 30th what may be described 

 as a fawn-coloured Moorhen! with silver-grey under parts was 

 received by Mr. Wormald from Gressenhall, where he and Sir 

 T. Hare had noticed this same bird some six weeks previously. 

 On its back there was a beautiful tint of golden brown, which 

 soon faded. The texture of the plumage was rather hair-like, 

 but hardly to the extent of the one figured in the 1 Transactions ' 

 of the Norwich Naturalists' Society (iii. p. 581). 



Aged Buzzards. 



A Common Buzzard, twenty-five years old, if not more, was 

 pulled to pieces by a Caracara Carrion-hawk which inhabited the 

 same cage in July. This is a considerable age, but there is an 

 account in 'The Field' of Feb. 2nd, 1867, of a Buzzard which 

 lived nearly forty years. We have also lost a Hawfinch which 

 has been in a cage for seven or eight years. 



