The Zoologist — January, 1866. 25 



and a single tern flew over, but far too high to identify. While at 

 anchor in this position I noticed out to seaward several dark objects 

 approaching, evidently birds; on a nearei" approach they turned out a 

 party of hooded crows : slowly and veearily they flew in a long 

 straggling body ; we watched them till lost behind the line of cliff. 

 From the direction they came, nearly due east, the nearest land would 

 be the coast of Holland, 230 miles distant. It is quite possible, how- 

 ever, they may have been driven far to the southward by the great 

 storm from the north, which was at that time raging at sea along the 

 north-eastern coast. 



Up to this time (3 o'clock p.m.) I never remember a more lovely day 

 for this season of the year. It was pleasantly warm, and the perfect 

 stillness was ominous, unbroken save by the lap of the water against 

 our boat, or the far-off cry of some diver ; but the calm was delusive, 

 and the weather rapidly changed. The wind suddenly chopped round 

 into the north, and soon a heavy sea was breaking across the reef off 

 the Head, the long lead-coloured swells rolling into the bay, ridge 

 beyond ridge, as yet smoothly rounded and unbroken. The north- 

 eastern horizon was shut in by a lurid haze, from which long torn 

 and ragged streaks of purple and gray vapour streamed upwards over 

 half the heavens. We were tolerably fortunate with our fishing-lines, 

 taking three or four species of fish, my companion capturing a fine 

 shad, its stomach containing a crab, several shrimps and a handful of 

 mussels, about an inch in length and unbroken. We were shown, when 

 at Flamborough, by Mr. Duke, of the Thornwick Hotel, a pair of brass- 

 mounted spectacles, perfectly entire and in good condition, which 

 were lately taken out of the stomach of a large cod-fish caught off the 

 coast. Cormorants have occasionally been captured in the bay, by 

 taking the bait on the fishing-lines : our boatman, Robert Crofion, of 

 Flamborough, stated that he once captured two in one day, at a time 

 when he had five fathoms, or thirty feet of line out. As the wind was 

 rapidly rising, we pulled for the coast, throwing overboard the 

 remains of our bait and the inside of the fish. Although no gulls were 

 in sight at the time, yet in a few minutes we had numbers of them 

 round the boat to pick up the floating offal : the vision of these birds 

 must be wonderfully keen and far-sighted, for I noticed common, 

 herring gulls and kittiwakes, coming from an immense distance, 

 several of the latter flying across from the opjjosite side of the head- 

 land, probably attracted by perceiving an unusual assembly of their 

 allies. 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. I. E 



