70 
51 R. J. H. GURNEY ON THE LITTLE AUK IN NORFOLK. 
any Norfolk specimen this year (though such are known to have 
occurred in 1846, 1857, 1870 and 1872, in Norfolk). 
In Yorkshire, Mr. W. J. Clarke proved a large preponderance 
of females by dissection ; and all the earlier ones sent to Mr. Gunn, 
and dissected in his absence by his son, were females except one, 
and the later ones nearly all males. The same thing was noticed 
by Mr. Roberts and Mr. Robert Clarke of Snettisham, viz., that 
the earlier ones were females, which is curious, as indicating a 
separation of the sexes. Similar separations have been observed 
over and over again in many species of birds, but we are still 
ignorant of the laws which govern them. 
On looking back at the past history of this species, it appears that 
Norfolk has had no such visitation of Little Auks since October, 
1841, at which time several hundreds were recorded on the coasts 
of Durham and Yorkshire and Norfolk, and at the same time 
Mr. W. R. Fisher stated that a great many appeared near Yarmouth 
(‘Zoologist,’ 1843, p. 182). Mr. Fisher and my father recorded 
a good many in December, 1846 (‘Zoologist,’ p. 1601), and 
Mr. Stevenson “many specimens” in November, 1861 (‘Zoologist,’ 
p. 7845) ; and again several in November and December, 1878. 
Since then there has been no special migration, though hardly a 
winter passes without a few being picked up ; but for the last few 
years they have been comparatively scarce. 
