BIRD NOTES 113 



less than eighteen Black Terns, more than fifty Turn- 

 stones, several Common and Arctic Terns, a number 

 of Dunlins, Grey Plovers, Whimbrel, and Godwits, 

 and, not least worthy of a glance, three Spoonbills. 

 These birds had gathered during the night on the 

 flats to feed, breaking their journey northwards ; 

 and as the tide gradually drove them from the 

 lower portions, they made for the highest remaining 

 muds, to take a rest before still pursuing their 

 flight, or to wait for the falling water to again lay 

 bare their feeding-grounds. 



On the evening of 8th May 1895 I put out again 

 for a cruise among the mud flats, when I came 

 across quite a menagerie of birds. There were some 

 34 Black Terns, 14 Turnstones, 1 Spoonbill (two days 

 before 12 had departed from Breydon), and 77 

 Godwits (bar-tailed) altogether on the "lumps," 

 besides a fair sprinkling of Grey Plovers and 

 Whimbrel, and a considerable number of Black- 

 headed Gulls. On being disturbed, the Terns rose 

 up screaming, and mounting high in the air, made 

 away in a north-east direction. On the next even- 

 ing I counted 100 Godwits in one flock. 



When taking a stroll along Breydon walls on 



15th August 1898 I observed a flat crowded with 

 8 



