MISCELLANEOUS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
421 
breeding of the Otter in Norfolk, it may be considered worthy of 
record. — W. D. Bulwer. 
Additions to the Norfolk Avifauna. An example of the 
Russian Bullfinch, a large and brilliant race which Brehm named 
Pyirhula major, was shot on Yarmouth Denes by Arthur Smith, 
January 22nd, 1893. 1 happened to be at his father’s house the 
next day and saw it, being instantly struck by its great size, 
and the greyness of its back ; it measured in the flesh, length 
5.7 inches, expanse 9.7 inches, wing 4 inches. The wing of 
P. euro/ ura is 3.2 inches. It is as much deserving of specific 
distinction as some of the foreign Hawks and Owls which have 
received names. The last few months have produced some other 
additions to the list of Norfolk birds ; in September a Ruddy 
Shelduck was washed up at Snettisham, being the sixteenth and 
last recorded in three consecutive months by Mr. Ogilvie, who adds 
that none were known to have escaped (‘Zoologist,’ 1892, p. 398). 
This was on September 13th, and on the 3rd a female Scarlet 
Orosbeak was caught on Yarmouth Denes by a birdcatcher named 
Jessup. On December Gth the right of the Iceland Gull to be 
a Norfolk bird was placed beyond doubt by Mr. Smith ; and on 
the 22nd he had a Greater Shearwater from Caister, bringing up 
the avifauna of Norfolk to three hundred. — J. H. Gurney. 
Sabine’s Gull in Norfolk. An immature female, I think 
a bird of the year, was caught in the shore-nets at Wells along with 
several Black- headed Gulls (L. ridilmmlm) on the 1 Gth October, 
and brought to me on the following day. A reference to 
Stevenson’s ‘Birds of Norfolk’ shows that this is the fourth 
recorded example for the county. All have occurred in the month 
of October, and after exceptionally bad weather for the time of 
the year. The gizzard contained the broken otoliths of a small 
fish and a few minute fragments of coal, probably taken with its 
last meal of small fish picked up on the shore, no doubt lying 
amongst coal grit. — H. W. Feilden. 
Occurrence of Ray’s Bream ( Brama Rail ) in Norfolk. 
A recently killed specimen of the above rare fish was brought to 
me on the 12th October, 1892. It had been picked up alive that 
morning on Hunstanton beach, having been stranded after a heavy 
gale which had recently been blowing. C. Sexton, who found the 
fish, stated that it went for him like a dog when he tried to handle 
