2854 Reptiles. 



(no doubt) the following birds, which though not rare, may be worth noting as having 

 been killed on the same day as the gull-billed tern, and in the same locality ^ viz., the 

 kittiwake gull, gray plover, and common sandpiper, in full nuptial plumage, and the 

 greenshank, pygmy curlew, sanderling and stint very nearly so, forming together a 

 list of eight different species, procured on the same day, in the same place, and pro- 

 bably travelling in the same direction. — J. H. Gurney ; Easton, Norfolk, May 27, 

 1850. 



Occurrence of the Black Tern (Sterna nigra), Lesser Tern (S. minuta), and Common 

 Tern (S. hirundo) at March. — On Tuesday the 7th instant, a small flock of terns was 

 observed hovering over the large sheets of water called the ballast-pits at the junction 

 of the Wisbech and St. Ives line, at March. They were shot at by one of the la- 

 bourers on the Middle Level Works, and several were killed, viz., a pair of black terns, 

 a lesser tern (male), and four specimens of the common tern. The wind had for some 

 days previously been blowing from the N. E. — T. W. Foster ; Museum, Wisbech. 



On the Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis.) — Dr. Bromfield states (Zool. 2707) that 

 he has been told by very competent authority, that the green lizard has been 

 found to be quite frequent, and even abundant at, or in the neighbourhood of, 

 Heme Bay. With all due deference to the person, or persons, on whose word the 

 aforesaid gentleman founds the assertion of the number of green lizards seen in the 

 vicinity of that place, at the same time I must, however, be permitted to differ in re- 

 spect to the abundance he speaks of, and would furthermore detail the result of my 

 own local observations, and inquiry concerning this reptile. Although living but a 

 few miles from this interesting locality, I have never spent much time in collecting 

 natural objects in that direction, on account of being able to procure a greater variety 

 of entomological specimens more inland; nevertheless within the last few years I have 

 been there at different times, in the summer months, but never by any lucky chance 

 did I encounter one of these, in my opinion, most scarce creatures. As it is my cus- 

 tom, whenever any member of the lizard tribe startles me by its hurried and agile 

 step in attempting to escape amongst the underwood, to discover what species it may 

 happen to be, therefore I should most assuredly have recognised Lacerta viridis, in 

 some of my rambles, had it been so very abundant. Again, I have enquired of an 

 acquaintance, a most accurate and close observer of nature, who has been to and fro 

 to Heme Bay more frequently than myself, and he has never met with, nor seen one. 

 Moreover, individuals, who some short time since held large tracts of land in the ad- 

 jacent county, assure me (and I can depend upon their veracity) that they have 

 never observed the green lizard ; and one farmer, somewhat observant, particularized 

 those which he had oftentimes killed, believing they were injurious to his land, which 

 from his description I immediately knew were the common species, but he never re- 

 collected " having turned up,'' as he expressed it, a green lizard all the time he had 

 possessed his farm, for the space of ten years. On looking over the Reptilia in the Mu- 

 seum belongiug to this city, I happily discovered a male and female Lacerta viridis, 

 but in such a wretched state of preservation as to be scarcely recognizable. The 

 particulars which I obtained regarding the whereabouts the pair came from originally, 

 and the time, &c, are uncertain and dubious; but I can say this much, in tolerable 



