16 WILD LIFE ON A NORFOLK ESTUARY 



rubber apron on the edge of it and watch for a little while 

 their doings. Some of the ancient flints are gay with lichens, 

 many of them creeping into the chinks and crannies of the 

 concrete. Here is the beautiful orange-coloured Placodium 

 muvorum, and the grey Lecanora galactina, or something 

 closely allied to it. These thrive well on this exposed " mile 

 point," notwithstanding their frequent deluging by the salt 

 scud from the waves flung by the strong nor'-wester. Let 

 me refer to my entry respecting the manoeuvring of the gulls 

 in front of us : 



"Nov. \Qth, 1906. An immense concourse of gulls, in 

 three detachments, covering a large area of the flats. One 

 lot, which consisted mainly of greater black-backs, nearly all 

 adult, spread over at least half an acre there were probably 

 1500 individuals gathered there. There was an easterly 

 breeze blowing, and all three squadrons sat, or rather stood, 

 facing the wind. At four o'clock (their usual time), after 

 some amount of chatter, a bunch of a hundred flew up, 

 making still more noise, and then mounted in the air, and 

 sped seawards, forming a perfect V as they fell into line. 

 Scattered birds kept drawing up to the main flocks, some 

 from the far end of Breydon. How conspicuously they 

 'loomed up' against the sombre background of drab flats and 

 grey, lowering sky ! Presently, before the first lot had entirely 

 disappeared in the distance, another contingent, in like 

 manner, rose as at some well-understood signal, and followed 

 the others in V-shaped flight. Thus went flock after flock to 

 their night's repose on the sea, and to their early morning's 

 attendance on the herring-nets, until by dusk they had all 

 disappeared, to return to-morrow to the flats to sleep off their 

 surfeit of herrings, when hunger would again set them prowl- 

 ing on the mudflats, or on the marshlands, to repeat at even- 

 tide the same evolutions. There were at least 6000 gulls 

 of various ages and species probably 7000. It is a 

 matter of general observation that the recent years of pro- 

 tection have tended greatly to the increase of the larger 

 gulls." i 



The lights of the town twinkle hazily in the downpour as 

 we reach home. 



1 Extract from my notebook. 



