﻿168 
  TEE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  notes 
  will 
  often 
  be 
  accompanied 
  by 
  the 
  deeper 
  and 
  more 
  subdued 
  

   whistle 
  of 
  the 
  Curlews 
  feeding 
  farther 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  flats. 
  

  

  The 
  Ring-Plover 
  {Mgialitis 
  hiaticula) 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  along 
  the 
  

   coast 
  all 
  the 
  year 
  round, 
  and 
  nests 
  on 
  the 
  shelly 
  beaches 
  ; 
  but 
  

   of 
  this 
  bird, 
  and 
  its 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  district, 
  more 
  anon. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  Tern 
  family, 
  the 
  Lesser 
  Tern 
  {Sterna 
  minuta) 
  nests 
  on 
  

   the 
  shelly 
  beaches, 
  and 
  the 
  Common 
  Tern 
  {S. 
  fluviatilis) 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   seen 
  in 
  small 
  numbers 
  during 
  the 
  late 
  summer 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  one 
  

   note 
  (Aug. 
  9th, 
  1902) 
  of 
  a 
  Black 
  Tern 
  {Hydrochelidon 
  nigra), 
  

   which 
  I 
  watched 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  beating 
  up 
  the 
  Thames 
  about 
  

   thirty 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  river-wall. 
  

  

  All 
  six 
  species 
  of 
  British-breeding 
  Gulls 
  frequent 
  the 
  district, 
  

   and 
  are 
  often 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  large 
  mixed 
  flocks 
  in 
  the 
  winter, 
  and 
  in 
  

   smaller 
  flocks 
  in 
  the 
  summer. 
  The 
  Common 
  Gull 
  (Larus 
  canus) 
  

   and 
  the 
  Black-headed 
  Gull 
  (L. 
  ridibundus) 
  are 
  the 
  commonest, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  scarcer 
  in 
  summer 
  ; 
  large 
  flocks 
  of 
  mature 
  Lesser 
  Black- 
  

   backed 
  Gull 
  {L.fuscus) 
  are 
  occasionally 
  to 
  be 
  seen, 
  but 
  the 
  Her- 
  

   ring-Gull 
  (L. 
  argentatus), 
  the 
  Great 
  Black-backed 
  Gull 
  (L. 
  mari- 
  

   nus), 
  and 
  the 
  Kittiwake 
  (Rissa 
  tridactyla) 
  are 
  not 
  numerous. 
  The 
  

   mixed 
  flocks 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  are 
  generally 
  largely 
  composed 
  of 
  

   immature 
  examples. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  watched 
  Divers 
  from 
  a 
  distance 
  on 
  the 
  Thames 
  (March, 
  

   1904), 
  but 
  too 
  far 
  off 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  identify 
  them, 
  except 
  that 
  

   by 
  the 
  light 
  and 
  dark 
  throats 
  it 
  was 
  fairly 
  clear 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  

   male 
  and 
  female 
  present 
  ; 
  probably 
  from 
  their 
  size, 
  as 
  compared 
  

   to 
  Wild 
  Ducks, 
  amongst 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  swimming 
  and 
  diving, 
  

   and 
  whom 
  they 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  considerably 
  disturbing, 
  they 
  were 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  the 
  Red-throated 
  Diver 
  (Colymbus 
  septentrionalis). 
  

  

  My 
  only 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  the 
  Guillemot 
  (Uria 
  troile) 
  in 
  this 
  

   district 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  frozen 
  corpse 
  which 
  I 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  landward 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  about 
  ten 
  miles 
  up 
  the 
  Thames 
  (Dec. 
  27th, 
  

   1901). 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  notes 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  shore- 
  

   birds 
  which 
  breed 
  along 
  this 
  coast-line 
  are 
  the 
  Ringed 
  Plover 
  

   and 
  Lesser 
  Tern. 
  A 
  chance 
  Redshank 
  or 
  Lapwing 
  may 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  lay 
  its 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  seaward 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  wall, 
  but 
  the 
  

   pasture-lands 
  and 
  the 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  fleets 
  in 
  the 
  so-called 
  marsh 
  

   are 
  their 
  stronghold. 
  

  

  The 
  Ringed 
  Plover's 
  year 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  might 
  well 
  be 
  

  

  