216 
feed on the drowned worms. Woodcocks appear to have been 
plentiful in the beginning of November when fifteen couple were 
shot at Sheringham, on the 5th, and many were met with, 
immediately on the coast, in the neighbourhood of Yarmouth. 
The occurrence of many of the larger raptores in October and 
November, to whatever cause attributable, has been already referred 
to. Two Bewick’s Swans, one adult and one immature, were shot 
at Yarmouth as early as the month of October, and a Long-tailed 
Duck, at Hunstanton, on the 27th of the same month ; a single 
storm driven specimen of the Little Auk was also picked up dead, 
as far inland as Kimberley, on the 30th of November. At 
Thompson Mere, near Watton, a Great Northern Diver was shot 
on the 7 th of November, where also, I understand, a very consider- 
able flock of wild geese, most probably of the Pink-footed species, 
frequented during the middle of the month, passing regularly from 
that locality, early in the morning, to the Wretham Meres and the 
surrounding heath. Thus far the winter had been mild and open 
but in the first week in December we had a deep fall of snow, 
from twelve to fourteen inches on the level ; the frosts, however, 
were at no time severe, and neither resident nor migratory birds 
seemed to suffer, in strange contrast to the previous winter. 
Apparently warned, atmospherically, of the coming change our 
winter visitants passed on to the southwards, in advance of the 
snowstorm, as no starving redwings and fieldfares besieged our 
city gardens for berries as in 1874, and the dearth of all kinds of 
marketable fowl, not only in our own but in the London markets, 
was remarkable ; and gunners have again realised my former 
assertion, that coarse weather setting in before Christmas leaves 
little sport, by land or water, for the new year. I heard of 
an order sent from Lincolnshire to Leadenhall market for a few 
golden plovers early in January which could not be supplied, and 
lapwings took their place at Is. 9d. a piece. 
Fortunately for the French partridges, as the snow laid for 
several days, a slight frost on the surface enabled them to run 
without sinking, and thus numbers were spared that would other- 
wise have been shot from the fences. From Yarmouth, I learn 
that a good many fowl were taken, during the first frost, in Fritton 
Decoy, and Goosanders and Mergansers, Scaups and Golden 
Eyes appeared on tho coast, but nearly all immature birds. On 
