the true sense of the term, Norfolk to that date having been the 
last stronghold of this grand species. 
Having been prevented by serious illness from paying my 
respects, personally, to this distinguished visitor, I am indebted for 
the following particulars to those brother ornithologists, who, more 
fortunate than myself and commiserating my disappointment, kept 
me well posted up as to their proceedings at the time. 
It appears that on the 24th of January, Mr. 11. M. Upcher, of 
Feltwell, being in the fen, was informed by one of his men that he 
had just seen a “wonderful cur’ous bird” in a piece of coleseed 
close at hand; and on going in search of it, to his delight and as- 
tonishment, ascertained that this was no other than a remarkably 
tine Bustard. The sun was shining at the time and he had a clear 
view of it, and on walking within a couple of hundred yards of the 
bird, it rose and flew round. The flight he describes as “grand, with 
a slow but powerful stroke.” Happily the bustard had taken up 
its quarters in a portion of the fen belonging to Mr. Upcher; who 
at once took every precaution to insure its safety, beyond his 
boundaries by informing the neighbouring proprietors and their 
gamekeepers, that such a bird was in the fen and must be protected. 
The spot itself is thus described by him in a communication to 
the Naturalist Editor of the ‘ Field ’ : — * 
“ The field in which he had taken up his quarters is in the heart 
of Black-dyke Fen, in the parish of Ilockwold ; a poor crop of 
coleseed on one half of it, the other half not sown, in consequence 
of the very uupropitious weather we had last summer. A wide 
ditch on one side separates it from the * drove ’ or road across the 
fen ; at the other end is an osier belt ; while the two remaining 
sides are flanked by dykes. The situation thus selected was a 
pretty safe one, as it would have been extremely difficult, if not 
impossible, to approach the bird within gunshot. This seemed to 
bo its favourite feeding grouud, to which it invariably returned 
when disturbed, and was almost certain to be found there at early 
morning. It appeared to feed much on the coleseed, biting off the 
tips of the leaves, as one of the farm men said, ‘just like a sheep.’” 
* A very full account of the occurrence of this bustard from the pen of Mr. 
J. E. Halting, including Mr. Upcher’s narrative, appeared in the ‘ Field’ of 
April 8th, 187(5, and a shorter statement of the principal facts by Mr. Upcher 
himself, in ‘ The Zoologist’ for the same year, p. 4882. 
