Page:VCH Norfolk 1.djvu/258

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A HISTORY OF NORFOLK Norfolk, a charming book by the Rev. Richard Lubbock, in 1 845 (a second edition in 1879) ; An Account of the Birds found in Norfolk, by J. H. Gurney and W. R. Fisher, pubHshed in the Zoologist in i 846 ; and last, but by far the most important, Mr. Stevenson's Birds of Norfolk, consisting of a series of monographs of the birds found in Norfolk, as instructive as they are interesting. The pages of the Zoologist, too, are an epitome of Norfolk ornithology from the commencement of that periodical in 1843 to the present time. All these will be referred to in w^hat follows ; but there are a host of names of ardent naturalists and sportsmen whose only share in the literature of the subject is the valuable assistance they so liberally contributed to the productions of others. Of the 308' fully recognized species in the list which follows, 107 may be regarded as regular breeders in this county ; 1 2 as occasional breeders, viz. : — Crossbill Garganey Teal Hooded Crow Spotted Crake Short-eared Owl Baillon's Crake Marsh-Harrier Ruff (?) Hobby (?) Common Sandpiper Little Bittern (?) Roseate Tern (?) Of these the hobby, ruff, and little bittern, which were once regular breeders, if they have not already ceased to do so are probably on the verge of extinction, and the roseate tern has only recently been observed under conditions which render its nesting here highly probable. There is more or less reason to believe that twelve other species have on rare occasions bred in the county, viz. : — Ring-Ousel (?) Wigeon (?) White Wagtail Pintail (?) Rock-Pipit (?) Green Sandpiper Golden Oriole Wood-Sandpiper Woodchat (?) Curlew Pied Flycatcher Sandwich Tern And fifteen others, which formerly bred in Norfolk, are now believed to have ceased to do so, viz. — Savi's Warbler Grey Lag-Goose Raven Black Grouse (?) Hen-Harrier Crane Kite Great Bustard Peregrine Falcon Avocet Cormorant Black-tailed Godwit Bittern Black Tern Spoonbill ' Or 309 if the gyr-falcon be included.

  • There is an entry in the Chamberlain's accounts of the city of Norwich of a payment

of v to ' Notyngham of Hyklyng for a yong pyper crane ' and iiij for the carriage of the same to Norwich under date of the year 1543, which conclusively proves that the crane nested at Hickling, a most likely situation, in that year. 226