The Zoologist— March, 1866. 129 



in one flock ; they are, however, exceedingly wild, and it is seldom 

 that one can get within gun-shot of them. This and every other 

 species of gull above the size of a blackheaded gull is in this neigh- 

 bourhood called a " cob." Does the lesser blackbacked gull breed 

 before attaining the mature plumage ? One I shot on the 6th of July 

 last would, I fancy, have attained its full plumage at the autumnal 

 moult: it had apparently bred this year, the feathers of the wings and 

 tail being much soiled and worn. A rather curious circumstance hap- 

 pened with regard to this very bird : having killed it one afternoon, 

 T on my return hung it up in a tool-house to dry ; about ten o'clock 

 at night, on going to bring it in, I noticed that directly I touched the 

 feathers both they and my hand exhibited a distinctly luminous 

 appearance, exactly similar to that produced by rubbing one's hand 

 with a lucifer-match : I fancy that this phosphorescence was due 

 rather to the salt-water into which the bird had fallen than to any 

 property possessed by the feathers themselves, since the luminosity 

 was more distinct upon rubbing the breast (which was saturated with 

 water) than any other part of the bird. 



Herring Gull. — A few of these birds were seen during the autumn, 

 but they are not nearly so numerous as the preceding species. 



W. H. Power. 



Queen Square, Bloomsbury, December 22, 1865. 



Ornithological Notes from North Lincolnshire. 

 By John Cordeaux, Esq. 



(Continued from Zool. S. S. 76.) 



December, 1865, and January, 1866. 



Green- Plover or Peewit. — Immense flocks of peewits frequented 

 the North Lincolnshire marshes, bordering the Humber, during De- 

 cember and up to the middle of January. Since this period, however, 

 they have nearly altogether forsaken the open country, and betaken 

 themselves to the higher lands running along the foot of the wolds. 

 In consequence of the extreme mildness of the season I have found 

 them wild and shy, and unusually difficult to approach. In the open 

 marshes the only chance has been to stalk them by walking up the 

 drains ; even then it is extremely difficult to get within shot, as they 

 are remarkably quick of hearing — an inadvertent step and splash in 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. I. S 



