Wild-fowl. — Owing to the above causes, and to the extreme mildness of the season, the gunners, professional and amateur, had a bad time of it. Amongst the rarer specimens that came under my notice during the month were an adult male Goldeneye (killed near Stalham), three fine Sheldrakes and a good old male Goosander, with several immature Red-breasted Mergansers. About the 16th an adult Gannet, storm driven, was taken inland at East Ruston, and another was killed at Cley in the following week.
Black-throated Diver. — A young bird of this species was sent into Norwich about the first week in the month ; and another specimen, in winter plumage, was shot on the mill-pond at Hempstead, near Holt, on the 3rd, which had a dozen small perch in its stomach, all under four inches long.
Sclavonian and Red-necked Grebes. — One of the former was shot at Paston on the 1st, and one of the latter at Yarmouth about the same time.
Bittern. — One killed near Yarmouth on the 15th ; and towards the end of the month another was seen on Hoveton Broad on several occasions, but it does not appear to have remained much later.
Rough-legged Buzzard. — One killed at Yarmouth during the first week of the month ; another at Hempstead, on the 8lh, the stomach containing the remains of a Pheasant and a ChaflBnch ; and a third, which had been some time dead, was picked up at Northrepps, near Cromer, on the 29th.
Mealy Redpolls. — These birds, abundant in the early part of the winter, were still met with during the month of January. On the 9th I received specimens for my aviary, one of which had a very rich rose-tinted breast.
Merlin. — A single bird was seen at Northrepps on the 5th.
Pheasant. — A hen Pheasant was shot at Northrepps on the 10th, with spurs half an inch long, but showed no signs of male plumage.
Kite. — The occurrence of this once-familiar species is now-a- davs worthy of special notice. On the 7th an undoubted specimen was seen by Mr. J.H. Gurney soaring above his residence and garden at Northrepps ; and on the 18th I saw, in the flesh, a Kite which had been killed two or three days before at Beeston, near Cromer, — probably the same bird. A claw was missing from one foot, and something like rabbit's down adhered to the torn end of
