218 CORDEAUX: BIRD-NOTES FROM THE HUMBER DISTRICT. 
number alighted and attempted to approach, it rose slowly and 
very heavily ; it was last seen by them beating to and fro over 
a field containing some ewes and lambs. Mr. Pye said the tail 
was nearly white. It was about this date, as Mr. G. H. Caton 
Haigh informs me, that his keeper in Lincolnshire observed a 
large bird of prey, much larger than a heron, on the wing near 
Grainsby Hall. 
Larus glaucus. Glaucous Gull. May 3rd. I saw one early 
this morning at Easington, lying very low from the Humber to 
the sea coast. It appeared to be nearly white, very gut 
marked above and below with pale brown. 
Turtur communis. Turtle Dove. May. This species, I am 
informed by Mr. Hewetson, has been fairly plentiful in the 
Spurn district during the month. 
Endromius morinellus. Dotterel. May 18th. These most 
charming Spring visitors were this year later in coming to their 
old quarters in the Great Cotes marshes. Last year they came 
May 11th, and this year it was a week later. The shepherd 
in the marsh told me that he had seen large numbers on 
the afternoon of the 18th, on the Humber ‘fitties,’ and near to 
the open pasture fields which they have now continued to 
frequent for so many years. He said they were very tame and 
that he could walk within five or ten yards before they would 
rise. They appeared both tired and hungry, and kept constantly 
searching for something in the short herbage, and often 
elevating their wings, keeping together in. distinct ‘trips’ oF 
flocks, although collectively, over a comparatively circumscribed 
area, amounting to several hundreds. All had left the locality 
before the morning of the rgth. In former years, Dotterel came 
early in May, in small ‘trips’ and at irregular intervals, remain- 
ing for days and weeks in some chosen locality. In recent 
years they appear to have quite changed their habits, now, 
certainly coming in greater number than formerly, and all at the 
same time, and renewing their migration again within a few 
hours—a change in. habit I am at a loss how to account for, 
unless it has been brought about by the division of some of out 
larger pastures, which they used most to frequent, and the putting 
own of fences and quick hedges, thus contracting their old 
favourite feeding-grounds, for Dotterel above everything love 
wide open spaces and will not alight or feed in small fields or 
enclosures. 
fune rth, 1892. 
