200 BIRDS OF THE HUMBER DISTRICT. 



Early in the year, about the end of February or 

 beginning of March, they assemble in constantly 

 increasing numbers on the Humber flats. They 

 leave the district again towards the end of that month 

 and through April, the old adult birds and the young 

 of the preceding years as well, to go inland, the for- 

 mer to their breeding-stations. April and May are 

 spent inland, in the neighbourhood of the great nest- 

 ing stations. Generally, however, in the latter part 

 of May, we still find some in our marshes, and on the 

 Humber foreshores, apparently adult birds; these may 

 be either barren birds, or probably, as has been sug- 

 gested by Mr. Blake-Knox in the 'Zoologist' for 1866, 

 p. 361, birds in the third summer plumage, closely 

 resembling the adult the Brown-headed Gull, like 

 the other Laridse, not breeding till the fourth summer. 

 By the last week in June many of the old birds have 

 returned to the vicinity of the coast, accompanied by 

 the young of the year ; and by the middle of July we 

 find them by thousands, both on the Humber and 

 the adjoining marshes, where they sit for hours to- 

 gether in large flocks, nestling on the dry fallows 

 and pasture-lands, using the same place day after 

 day, till the land, from the immense number of 

 moulted feathers scattered about, looks as if a flock 

 of Geese had been plucked upon it. After July and 

 throughout the autumn, they keep almost exclusively 

 to the river and mud-flats, and all through August 

 and September are found in large mixed flocks in 



