30 



THE NATURALIST. 



Mr. Knights also informs me that he has had about fifteen specimens hrought 

 in principally from the neighbourhoods of Salthouse and Great Yarmouth, 

 Amongst the examples I noticed was a fine adult female that was killed by 

 Mr. Beevor, at Hargham, on the 17th, and two nice males from Briston, on 

 the following day, killed by Mr. J. W. Hill, of that place. Much similarity 

 appeared to exist in both sexes in the colour of their plumage, each indivi- 

 dual shewing slight indications of the reddish tinge of its neck, chiefly at 

 the sides ; in that of the adult female I before noticed, the reddish tinge was 

 particularly conspicuous in that part ; the breast and under parts of this example 

 were also much stained with the vegetable matter upon which it had subsisted 

 since its arrival on our shores. The beak of the female is yellow, assuming 

 a paler tint towards the tip, and that of a pale brown on the top of the 

 upper mandible ; the males shew the yellowish hue only at the base of both 

 upper and lower mandibles, the remaining portion of the beak being of a 

 uniform dark brown approaching to black ; iris, pearly white. The upper surface 

 of the feet and toes of the male are tinged v/ith a pale reddish hue, while those 

 of the female incline to yellow ; I particularly noticed this tinge in fresh 

 killed birds, as the colour soon fades out of the feet of stuffed specimens. The 

 following are the measurements of tliree examples I examined in one day : — 



Adult Male. Adult Female. Immature. 



Beak to tail both included... 18 inches. 15 inches. 18 inches. 



Wing from carpal joint 7f „ ?? 6f „ 



Beak from gap 2f „ IJ „ 



91 



'8 7' 



In nearly all the specimens I dissected the stomachs contained vegetable 

 food, chiefly grass and weeds, which matter was likewise intermixed with 

 feathers, which were very probably swallowed by the birds when skimming 

 the surface of the water. I examined one on the 16th inst., and it appeared 

 that Eoach, Leuciscus rutilus, had wholly constituted its food during the last 

 meal or two, as I took several from its stomach, one of which I found entire ; 

 it measured six inches in length (which I think is rather an unusual sized 

 morsel for this species to swallow at one mouthful). In another individual, 

 I noticed the contents of the stomach to be composed entirely of feathers, quite 

 verdant, being stained with the juice of the vegetable matter that it previously 

 contained, 



ScLAVONiAN Grebe. I saw a nice male on the 25th inst. Its stomach 

 contained grass, weeds, and a few small fishes. 



Black-throated Diver. A nice immature male of this species was 

 taken on the sea-beach at Holkham, near Wells, about the 10th of February. 



