EARLY SPRING ON THE MOORS 



33 



It was a sad accident — one of those that cannot always 

 be avoided. But had the stanchion-gun held her 

 bearing- three more seconds, the destruction had been 

 thrice as bad. 



The date of this catastrophe was February 28th. 

 The nineteen gulls were all adults, and all well advanced 

 in acquiring- the black hood. In another fortnight they 

 would have been soaring over heather and moss instead 

 of tidal sandflat and ooze. 



I have often noticed these g-ulls at Houxty as early 

 as the end of February. In arable lands, they follow 

 the plough, along with rooks. 



The last week of March bring-s quite a little flush 

 of new arrivals from over-sea. Two of these are typical 

 moor-birds, to wit, — the wheatear and the ringf-ouzel. 

 Other two represent the earlier contingent of the 

 regular "summer-birds," namely, the sand-martin and 

 the chiffchaff, both of which I have noticed (the latter 

 in full song - ) as early as March 31st. 



The following- gives, in tabular form, the earliest and 

 latest dates of arrival of the species already named : — 



The Ring-ed Plover {^gialitis hiaticula) is strictly 

 marine in its haunts, and there is no local evidence of 

 its breeding- inland : yet we have observed it frequenting- 



c 



