BIRDS 



over the beach, twittering all the time like so 

 many restless swallows. Both species of these 

 terns keep separate in their breeding haunts, 

 the lesser tern preferring rather the close 

 proximity of the sea. They come early in 

 May, the majority leaving towards the middle 

 of September. At Rye I have observed them 

 as late as 4 October. In August the home- 

 bred birds are augmented by others from fur- 

 ther north. 



238. Sabine's Gull. Xema sabinii (Joseph 



Sabine) 

 Very rare. A fine adult male was ob- 

 tained near Rye on 2 October 1891. It was 

 preserved by Mr. Catt of Iden, and is now in 

 my collection. 



239. Little Gull. Laru^ minutus, Pallas. 

 Decidedly uncommon, occurring in winter 



and spring. I have the following records : 

 one adult, near Gravesend, 6 October 1868 

 {Zool. 1868, p. 1462) ; one (in second 

 year's plumage), Rainham, 7 February 1870; 

 one adult, 14 February 1874, Milton Creek 

 near Rainham ; one immature, 17 September 

 1884, Rainham ; one adult male, I2 March 

 1898, Horsemonden ; one adult female 

 (mottled head), 17 October 1898, Broomhill, 

 Lydd. The last two are in my collection, 

 while in the collection of Mr. Oxenden 

 Hammond there are several specimens besides 

 those enumerated. 



240. Black-headed Gull. Larus ridibundus, 



Linn. 

 Locally, Crocker. 



A resident, but not so numerous as 

 formerly. There is a breeding colony of 

 these birds at the Hoppen Petts, Lydd. 

 These ' petts,' which lie about four miles 

 south-east of Lydd, consist of two large pieces 

 of water of unknown depth, fringed with 

 treacherous reed-beds. On 4 June 1896 I 

 found over twenty nests there, all containing 

 eggs with the exception of two, which had 

 young. These nests were invariably placed 

 close to the edge of the reed-beds nearest the 

 water. On one small ' reedy ' promontory 

 there were no fewer than eight, situated 

 hardly a yard apart. 



These birds leave this place every autumn 

 with marked regularity. There is a saying 

 that the ' crocker,' as this gull is locally called, 

 leaves the Hoppen Petts on Romney Fair 

 day, which falls on 21 August. During the 

 remainder of the year they frequent the sea- 

 board in large parties. In rough weather 

 they go sometimes far inland, visiting the 

 freshly-turned furrows and following the 



plough to pick up the earthworms. This 

 gull is common on the Medway from autumn 

 to early spring (Prentis). In the north of the 

 county these gulls leave for their breeding 

 haunts about the end of February, the ma- 

 jority returning in the beginning of August, 

 when they resort throughout the winter to the 

 creeks, occasionally visiting the ' sprat ' fields. 



241. Common Gull. Larus canus, Linn. 

 Locally, Cob. 



Not common. Generally seen on the flat 

 portions of our shore line during the autumn 

 migration. It has been obtained at Cran- 

 brook. 



242. Herring-Gull. Larus argentatus, J. F. 



Gmelin. 

 Adult birds are numerous from September 

 to early spring on the sandy stretches of our 

 shore line between Rye and Dungeness. A 

 certain number of immature birds remain with 

 us throughout the year. There is a large 

 colony of herring-gulls on the Dover clifls. 



243. Lesser Black-backed Gull. Larus fuscus, 



Linn. 

 Locally, Parson Mew. 

 Adults are scarce, though occasionally met 

 with in autumn and spring along the sandy 

 stretches. Immature birds are fairly common. 



244. Great Black - backed Gull. Larus 



marinus, Linn. 

 Locally, Parson Mew. 

 Adults are more numerous than those of 

 the last named species, being observed in Sep- 

 tember and again in March ; but the majority 

 keep out at sea, following in the wake of 

 trawlers in expectation of seizing the small 

 fry that is thrown overboard. Immature 

 birds are numerous throughout the year. 



245. Kittiwake. Rissa tridactyla (Linn.) 

 Locally, Sprat Mew. 



Occasionally met with from autumn to 

 spring near our estuaries and harbours. After 

 stormy weather individuals have been taken 

 far inland. 



246. Great Skua. Megalestris catarrhactes 



(Linn.) 

 A rare straggler. On 4 October 1900 an 

 adult female was killed at sea off Dungeness 

 and examined in the flesh by Mr. Ruskin 

 Butterfield of St. Leonards (Zo«/. 1900, p. 

 521). 



247. Pomatorhine Skua. Stercorarius poma- 



torhinus (Temminck) 

 Occurs more frequently than preceding 



299 



