382 REPORT— 1901. 



■when the older gull had taken flight into freedom leaving a younger Com- 

 panion in the garden, the first to fly returned repeatedly to visit the 

 younger until it also flew ; adults of the species flew about overhead 

 when the young in the garden were approaching their time for flight. On 

 the other hand, a winged herring gull (shot by some careless person) 

 which lived in the garden displayed not the remotest interest in its small 

 congeners. Nor were young coots interested in young gulls. 



The widespread following- instinct was very marked between younger 

 and older ; indeed, to find one in a large room in the summer twilight the 

 quickest way was to set loose another, and it should also be noticed, in 

 confirmation of some remarks by Thorndike, that one of the young gulls 

 used to follow a little boy's bare feet persistently over the lawn, nestling 

 beside them when he stood still. 



Finally, it may be noticed that while there was for three to four weeks 

 great tameness and familiarity on the part of the young gulls, the wild shy- 

 ness and suspicion grew quickly after they were able to rise from the ground. 

 The species is of course migratory, and there seemed to be a growing 

 restlessness towards the end of July, but this may have been prompted 

 by adults who frequently flew round and round overhead. It was note- 

 worthy, however, that there was a return of tameness on the part of a 

 younger bird after the flight of the older. It was even seen to thread its 

 way through a group of children seated on the lawn, and coolly ap- 

 propriate a strawberry from one of the plates. 



Changes of the Laoid Level of the Phlegncan Fields.— Beport of a 

 Committee consisting of Dr. H. R. Mill {Chairman), Mr. H. N. 

 Dickson (Secretary), Dr. Scott Keltie, and Mr. R. T. Guntheh. 

 (Drawn up hi/ Mr. R. T, Gunther.) 



Work was commenced soon after my arrival in Naples at the end of 

 June 1901, and is still in progress. 



I am very glad to be able to report that the material for investigation 

 is even more abundant than I anticipated when the research was pro- 

 posed as a desirable one a year ago. Many of the so-called rocks and 

 shoals along the coast of Posilipo have proved to be really artificial con- 

 structions, Roman breakwaters and foundations, and walls of houses. 



So far as I am aware, these constructions, now submerged to varying 

 depths, have never been mapped ; nor indeed is there a good large scale 

 map of the coast upon which the submarine antiquities could be plotted. 

 I have therefore had to devote a good deal of time to the preparation of 

 a new survey of the coast line before beginning to map the adjacent 

 portions of the sea bottom. 



The sites to which I have devoted most attention are : 



1. A triangular area inside the Pietra Salata, south of the Capo di 

 Posilipo. Here the remains of a large house or houses have been dis- 

 covered. 



2. The ancient harbour of Marechiano, famed as the traditional site 

 of Pollio's fish tanks. 



3. The Gaiola region and Trentaremi Bay, To the north-east of the 

 Gaiola is a Roman harbour, which seems to have altogether escaped the 

 notice of modern archsologists. It is sheltered on the south by a series 

 of piers (now entirly submerged) very like those of the Roman harbours 

 of Nisida, Pozzuoli, and Misenum. 



