M. BORRERI. (Grev.) Ditches, Breydon, and near Vauxhall Station, Yarmouth. M. MARINA. (Sm.) Stomachs of Noctiluca miliaris, Yarmouth. M. NUMMULOIDES. (Dillwyn.) Ditch near Vauxhall Station, Yarmouth. M. ORICHALCEA. (Kg.) Common in fresh-water ditches. L. SPIRALIS. (Ehr.) In washings from Moss taken off the trunk of an Elm on Earlham Road, Norwich. Family XI-BIDDULPHIEÆ. Genus ISTHMIA Agardh. 1. ENERVIS. (Ehr.) Cromer. 1. NERVOSA. (Kg.) Cromer, growing on Ceramium rubrum. Genus EUCAMPIA Ehrenberg. E. BRITTANICUS. (Sm.) Stomachs of Noctiluca miliaris, Yarmouth: very rare. E. STRIATUS. (Stolterfoth.) I give this on the authority of a drawing (unpublished) made for Mr. Brightwell, by Tuffen West, and I have no doubt Mr. Brightwell found it in some of his Noctilucæ preparations, as figures of Triceratium undulatum, Bri., are on the same paper. E. ZODIACUS. Ehr. Stomachs of Noctilucæ, Yarmouth: rare. Genus BIDDULPHIEE Gray. B. AURITA. (Lyngbye.) Breydon. Stomachs of Noctiluca miliaris Yarmouth (River Nene, W. S. Smith). B. BAILEYI. (Sm.) Stomachs of Noctiluca miliaris, Yarmouth. B. RADIATUS. (Sm.) Breydon : rare. B. RHOMBUS. (Sm.) Breydon, Wells; mud from Yarmouth Harbour. B. TURGIDA. (Sm.) Breydon : rare. Genus TRICERATIUM Ehrenberg. T. ALTERNANS. (Bail.) Stomachs of Noctiluca miliaris, Yarmouth, Hunstanton Sands: rare. T. BIDDULPHIA. Heiberg. Mud from Breydon and Yarmouth ? Harbour T. FAVUS. Ehr. rare. Breydon and Yarmouth mud. Genus AMPHITETRAS Ehrenberg. A. ANTEDILUVIANA. (Ehr.) I have only found a few specimens on Sea-weed from Cromer. Genus LITHODESMIUM Ehrenberg. L.? MALLEUS. (Bri.) Stomachs of Noctiluca miliaris, Yarmouth. I place this form in the above genus with considerable hesitation. Mr. Brightwell refers it to Triceratium, to which it seems to have less affinity. It is probably not a Diatom. E. ARGUS. Family XII.-EUPODISCEÆ. Genus EUPODISCUS Ehrenberg. Ehr. Mud from Yarmouth Harbour: rare. Genus AULISCUs Ehrenberg. A. SCULPTUS. (Sm.) Mud from Yarmouth Harbour: rare. Family XIII.-HELIOPELTEÆ. Genus ACTINOPTYCHUS Ehrenberg. A. SPLENDENS. (Roper.) Yarmouth Harbour mud: rare. Family XIV.-ASTEROLAMPREÆ. Not represented. Family COSCINODISCE Genus HYALODISCUS Ehrenberg. H. RADIATUS. Breydon, Hunstanton, Yarmouth. C. COMPTA. Kg. Genus CYCLOTELLA Kützing. Ormesby. C. DALLASIANA. (Sm.) Breydon. C. KÜTZINGIANA. (Thw.) Fresh and brackish water; Ormesby, Breydon, Flordon, River Bure. C. MENEGHINIANA. (Kg.) var. RECTANGULATA. Grun. Ormesby, C. OPERCULATA. Kg. Ormesby, Costessey, St. Faith's. C. PUNCTATA. (Sm.) Titchwell, Breydon (River Nene, near C. (STEPHANODISCUS) ROTULA. (Sm.) Ormesby, Horning. Genus STEPHANODISCUS Ehrenberg. S. HANTZSCHIANA. (Grun.) Breydon. Genus ACTINOCYCLUS Ehrenberg. A. CRASSUS. (Sm.) Sand-washings, Hunstanton, Breydon: rare. A. ROPERII. Grun. A. SUBTILIS. (Greg.) Sand-washings, Hunstanton, Breydon : rare. Genus COSCINODISCUS Ehrenberg. C. CONCINNUS. (Sm. nec Ehr.) Stomachs of Noctiluca miliaris, C. EXCENTRICUS. (Ehr.) Same localities as preceding species. C. NITIDA. (Greg.) Sand-washings, Hunstanton rare. C. NOBILIS. (Grun.) Stomachs of Noctiluca miliaris, Yarmouth. C. RADIATUS. Ehr. Sand-washings, Hunstanton, Breydon. C. WEISFLOGII. (Grun.) Breydon rare. Genus PALMERIA Greville. P. LUNARIS. (Bréb.) Yarmouth Pier (=Eunotia? lunaris, Bréb.) VULGARE. (Kitton.) Sand-washings, Hunstanton, Wells (=Amphora complexa, Gregory). P. XX. ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FOR 1882. BY HENRY STEVENSON, F.L.S. Read 25th March, 1884. In the absence of Mr. Quinton's elaborate and valuable Meteorological Notes, I cannot help feeling personally indebted to Mr. Preston for his "Summary," to compare with my own weather records, and literally speaking, I look with blank amazement at the paucity of notes in my journal on other topics, for the exceptional year of 1882. I never remember twelve months so devoid of special occurrences in relation to Ornithology; and, failing these, I will dwell more at length on minor incidents, and the effect of abnormal seasons upon the feathered tribes both resident and migratory. Such remarks may not prove uninteresting to many readers, and the effect of an early, but fickle spring, and a chill stormy summer, upon the Hirundines, in particular, is, in itself, a noteworthy subject. A bad season for the shore-gunners means, always, brief notes for the Naturalist; and both before and after Christmas, in the winter of 1881-2, an almost total absence of "hard-weather" fowl, and a singular scarcity of Fieldfares and Redwings, are readily accounted for in Mr. Preston's notes, when he speaks of November, 1881, as "the mildest and warmest for many years." December, also, as "mild and stormy," and January, of 1882, as "free from snow, with but little frost, and rain and fog predominating with southerly and westerly winds." The same kind of weather, with the exception of a few rime frosts and heavy gales, towards the end of the month, prevailed in February and, with the wind chiefly south and west, no wonder vegetation was unusually early. The great army of winter migrants had passed down our coasts at their usual period, and no subsequent stress of weather impelled those wintering in the North of England and Scotland to feed their way southwards, as in most seasons; and hence a general dearth of bird-life about our sea-coasts and marshes, as well as in more sheltered inland localities. In the first week of January I heard of two or three Waxwings, seen or shot, near Holt, and one at Lammas, near Cromer, indicating, as I have before observed, that the advent of this beautiful and irregular migrant is by no means confined to severe winters. On the 6th a Common Buzzard appeared at Northrepps, and a large Raptor, seen at the same place on the 30th, was, possibly, a Rough-legged Buzzard, of which species one had been shot at Fulmodestone on the 14th. Of wild-fowl, the only entries I find worth notice during this month are a male Gadwall, at Salthouse, on the 6th, and another at Hickling on the 14th, the latter, in all probability, bred in this county. As early as the 11th of February, a profusion of chips on the ground drew my attention to a freshly-bored or enlarged nest-hole of the Starling, in one of the old trees in Chapel-field; but, already, Sparrows were disputing possession, and prevailed, I have no doubt, from a mass of nesting stuff protruding from the aperture when I passed some days later. On the 22nd a Snow Bunting was shot at Cromer, which had already begun to assume its breeding-dress,—an exceedingly early date; but if at all attributable to so mild a season, it was, no doubt, a bird of some age, as my aviary experience proves that, in most species, the oldest birds assume their summer garb soonest; and I think I may also add, in healthy subjects, the assumption in such fully adults is more rapid than in second-year, or still younger birds. March foliowed suit as to mildness of temperature, and the first three weeks were altogether foreign to its usual character. With some rain to begin with, from the 5th to the 20th, Mr. Preston describes it as "summer-like;" but the 21st brought an unlookedfor change, and a keen north wind, with sleet, and even snowstorms, at times, quite changed the scene till the 25th, when the former state of things prevailed to the end of the month. With but a few rime frosts, however, the brief interval of cold had no effect on the forward state of vegetation, some three weeks in advance of ordinary seasons. |