Loxias or curvirostra, a bird a little bigger than a thrush, of fine colours, and pretty note, differently from other birds, the upper and lower bill crossing each other; of a very tame nature; comes about the beginning of summer. I have known them kept in cages; but not to outlive the winter.

A kind of coccothraustes, called a coble-bird, bigger than a thrush, finely coloured and shaped like a bunting. It is chiefly seen in summer, about cherry-time.

A small bird of prey, called a birdcatcher, about the bigness of a thrush, and linnet-coloured, with a longish white bill, and sharp; of a very fierce and wild nature, though kept in a cage, and fed with flesh;-a kind of lanius.

A dorhawk or kind of accipiter muscarius, conceived to have its name from feeding upon flies and beetles; of a woodcock colour, but paned like a hawk; a very little pointed bill: large throat; breedeth with us; and lays a marvellous handsome spotted egg. Though I have opened many, I could never find anything considerable in their maws. primulgus.

Ca

Avis trogloditical or chock, a small bird, mixed of black and white, and breeding in coney-burrows; whereof the warrens are full from April to September; at which time they leave the country. They are taken with an hobby and a net; and are a very good dish.

Spermalegous rooks, which, by reason of the great quantity of corn-fields and rook groves, are in great plenty. The young ones are commonly eaten; sometimes sold in Norwich market, and many are killed for their livers, in order to the cure of the rickets.

Crows, as everywhere; and also the corvus variegatus,2 or pied crow, with dun and black interchangeable. They come in the winter, and depart in the summer; and seem to be the same which Clusius describeth in the Faro Islands, from whence perhaps these come. I have seen them very

7 loxias.] The crossbill. Loxia curvirostra, L.

8 coccothraustes.] Loxia coccothraustes, L. The grossbeak.

9 dorhawk.] Caprimulgus Europaeus, L. The goat-sucker.

1 avis trogloditica.] By the term avis trogloditica, Dr. Browne probably intended a kind of wren. He refers very possibly to the wheatear, Motacilla ananthe, L.

2 corvus variegatus.] Corvus cornix, L. The hooded crow.

common in Ireland; but not known in many parts of England..

Corvus major; ravens; in good plenty about the city; which makes so few kites to be seen hereabout. They build in woods very early, and lay eggs in February.

Among the many monedulas or jackdaws, I could never in these parts observe the pyrrhocorax or Cornish chough, with red legs and bill, to be commonly seen in Cornwall; and, though there be here very great store of partridges, yet the French red-legged partridge is not to be met with. The ralla or rail, we have counted a dainty dish; as also no small number of quails. The heathpoult, common in the north, is unknown here, as also the grouse; though I have heard some have been seen about Lynn. The calandrier or greatcrested lark (galerita), I have not met with here, though with three other sorts of larks; the ground-lark, wood-lark, and tit-lark.

Stares or starlings, in great numbers. Most remarkable in their numerous flocks, which I have observed about the autumn, when they roost at night in the marshes, in safe places, upon reeds and alders; which to observe, I went to the marshes about sunset; where standing by their usual place of resort, I observed very many flocks flying from all quarters, which, in less than an hour's space, came all in, and settled in innumerable numbers in a small compass.

Great variety of finches and other small birds, whereof one very small, called a whin-bird, marked with fine yellow spots, and lesser than a wren. There is also a small bird, called a chipper, somewhat resembling the former, which comes in the spring, and feeds upon the first buddings of birches and other early trees.

A kind of anthus, goldfinch, or fool's coat, commonly called a draw-water, finely marked with red and yellow, and a white bill, which they take with trap-cages, in Norwich gardens, and, fastening a chain about them, tied to a box of water, it makes a shift, with bill and leg, to draw up the water in to

3 French, &c.] Our Norfolk sportsmen can bear witness that this species is now to be found in various parts of the county.

4 heathpoult.] Or black grouse.

5 here.] Nor any one else, in England, if he refers to alauda cristata, which is the A. sylvestris galerita of Frisch.

it from the little pot, hanging by the chain about a foot below.

On the 14th of May, 1664, a very rare bird was sent me, killed about Crostwick, which seemed to be some kind of jay. The bill was black, strong, and bigger than a jay's; somewhat yellow claws, tipped black; three before and one claw behind. The whole bird not so big as a jay.

The head, neck, and throat, of a violet colour; the back and upper parts of the wing, of a russet yellow; the fore part of the wing, azure; succeeded downward by a greenish blue; then on the flying feathers, bright blue; the lower parts of the wing outwardly, of a brown; inwardly, of a merry blue; the belly, a light faint blue; the back, toward the tail, of a purple blue; the tail, eleven feathers of a greenish colour; the extremities of the outward feathers thereof, white with an eye of green.-Garrulus argentoratensis.6

[AN ACCOUNT OF FISHES, &c. FOUND IN NORFOLK AND ON THE COAST.]

[MS. SLOAN. 1830, fol. 23-30, & 32—38; & 1882,1 fol. 145, 6.]

Ir may well seem no easy matter to give any considerable account of fishes and animals of the sea; wherein, 'tis said, that there are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts, because they live in an element wherein they are not so easily discoverable. Notwithstanding, probable it is that after this long navigation, search of the ocean, bays, creeks, estuaries, and rivers, that there is scarce any fish but

6 garrulus argentoratensis.] Coracias garrula, L. The roller. 1882] The first paragraph of this paper I met with in 1882 MS. Sloan. preceded by the words "I willingly obey your co. " which were left unfinished, and struck through with the pen. The author probably at one time intended the account of fishes, &c., to be distinct from that of birds, and wrote this as an introductory paragraph. I have therefore so preserved it; though both subjects are mentioned in the first paragraph of the tract on birds.

hath been seen by some man; for the large and breathing sort thereof do sometimes discover themselves above water, and the other are in such numbers that at one time or other they are discovered and taken, even the most barbarous nations being much addicted to fishing: and in America and the new discovered world the people were well acquainted with fishes of sea and rivers, and the fishes thereof have been since described by industrious writers. Pliny seems too short in the estimate of their number in the ocean, who reckons up but one hundred and seventy-six species: but the seas being now farther known and searched, Bellonius much enlargeth; and in his book of birds thus delivereth himself:- Although I think it impossible to reduce the same unto a certain number, yet I may freely say, that 'tis beyond the power of man to find out more than five hundred species of fishes, three hundred sorts of birds, more than three hundred sorts of four-footed animals, and forty diversities of serpents."2

66

Of fishes sometimes the larger sort are taken or come ashore. A spermaceti whale, of sixty-two feet long, near Wells; another of the same kind, twenty years before, at Hunstanton; and, not far off, eight or nine came ashore, and two had young ones after they were forsaken by the water.3

2 serpents.] Naturalists now enumerate 800 species of beasts; and at least 50,000 of insects.-Gray.

3 sometimes, &c.] A whale, 58 feet long, was cast ashore at Overstrand, in the spring of 1822 (I think); and another went spouting past Cromer, in the autumn of the same year.

Towards the end of 1829, a whale, only 24 feet long, was cast ashore and killed at Runton. He was of the Balana division, with a whalebone mouth, and no teeth; and as far as I could make out, I think it was one of the boops balæna species-as the man who made the capture told me, the nose was very sharp pointed-but it was much hacked before I saw it. I found the extreme width of the tail was 3 feet 11 inches. It was dark, nearly black on the back, and white below in folds. There were two spout-holes close together in the middle of the head. Almost an inch and half thickness of blubber; and the oil which has been made from it is remarkably fine. The Whale-bone fringe in its mouth was nearly white: the length of the jaw-bones, 3 feet 7 inches. It did not look tempting enough to make me bring any of the meat away; but at Northrepps hall, a steak was cooked, and tasted like tender beef.-G.

A grampus, above sixteen feet long, taken at Yarmouth, four years ago.4

The tursio, or porpoise,5 is common. The dolphin more rare, though sometimes taken, which many confound with the porpoise; but it hath a more waved line along the skin; sharper toward the tail; the head longer, and nose more extended; which maketh good the figure of Rondeletius; the flesh more red, and well cooked, of very good taste to most palates, and exceedeth that of porpoise.

The vitulus marinus,7 sea-calf, or seal, which is often taken sleeping on the shore. Five years ago, one was shot in the river of Norwich, about Surlingham ferry, having continued in the river for divers months before. Being an amphibious animal, it may be carried about alive, and kept long if it can be brought to feed. Some have been kept for many months in ponds. The pizzell, the bladder, the cartilago ensiformis, the figure of the throttle, the clustered and racemose form of the kidneys, the flat and compressed heart, are remarkable in it. In stomachs of all that I have opened, I have found many worms.

I have also observed a scolopendra cetacea of about ten [inches] long, answering the figure in Rondeletius, which the mariners told me was taken in these seas.

A pristis serra,8 or saw-fish, taken about Lynn, commonly mistaken for a sword-fish, and answers the figure in Rondeletius.

A sword-fish (iphias, or gladius 9), entangled in the herring-nets at Yarmouth, agreeable unto the icon in Johnstonus, with a smooth sword, not unlike the gladius of Rondeletius, about a yard and a half long; no teeth; eyes very remarkable; enclosed in a hard cartilaginous covercle, about the bigness of a good apple; the vitreous humour plentiful; the crystalline larger thau a nutmeg, remaining clear, sweet,

4

grampus, &c.] Oct. 1827, the fishermen saw a fish which they called a grampus.-G.

5 tursio or porpoise.] Delphinus phocœna, L.

6 dolphin.] D. Delphis, L.

7 vitulus marinus.] Phoca vitulina, L.

8 pristis serra.] Squalus pristis, L.

9 iphias or gladius.] Xiphias gladius, L.