782 
trapped a few days later, at Northrepps, proved tire nesting of that 
species in the vicinity, in spite of all precautions in the interest of 
game preservers. 
On the 24th, I spent an hour or two on Surlingham Broad, hut 
though a bright, sunny, day and still, with a south-west wind, both 
Heed and Sedge AVarblers were strangely silent; the former, I was 
told, being very scarce. But I learnt, afterwards, from Mr. Robert 
Pratt who is constantly on the water, that lie had scarcely ever 
known the Broad so void of melody in marsh-birds’ notes; and the 
same might be said of the cries of Coots and Water-hens, so terribly 
had these birds been thinned down in the hard winters of 1879—80 
and 1880 — 81. They had not, in fact, recovered their losses, 
especially in the former winter, when, with the Broad frozen over, 
the half-starved birds were knocked down with sticks or killed by 
dogs, and Hooded Crows ; and the remnant of the Water-hens 
took to the stackyards and upland fences. The Coots, after a time, 
left for the salt-marshes on the coast, where the gunners killed 
large numbers, and very few returned in the spring. Migratory 
birds were heard whistling over the city, one night, near the end 
of this month. 
In the course of the summer I had ocular demonstration of the 
abundant breeding of wild-fowl on a Norfolk estate, where the 
strict preservation of game proves a sure safeguard. Here, on 
extensive waters, were seen many pairs, with their young, not 
only of the Common Wild Duck and Teal, but of Shovellers, 
Garganey, Pochards, Tufted Ducks, and Gadwalls, as well as 
Great Crested and Little Grebes. Further details as to locality, 
site of nests found, &c., are carefully preserved in my journal 
and, in the interest of our rarer indigenous species of fowl and, 
not to gratify the curiosity of roving birdstutfers, whole “ clutch ” 
egg-collectors, or the ubiquitous excursionist (beguiled by the 
flashy articles of popular writers on local natural history), will 
remain further unused till time may render it safe to do so. 
August did its best to make up for previous cold and wet, 
till within the last ten days, and a warm sun tempered the east and 
north-easterly winds. On the 6th, Mr. Preston records the hottest 
day of the year — eighty-three degrees. 
