Br THE Um. CANON XBISTKAM. 7 



No doubt the great extent of arable land lias much attraction for 

 these Gulls, as they follow the plough and pick up, with greater 

 avidity than the Eook, all sorts of worms and grubs. In North 

 Lincolnshire this bird is carefully protected by farmers and 

 gamekeepers, is more numerous than the Rook, and breeds in 

 immense numbers in the Eabbit warrens wherever there is a 

 shallow pool. The most painful ornithological sight I remem- 

 ber seeing was on the gable end of an outhouse at Nunwick, 

 North Tyne. Thousands of these valuable birds had been reck- 

 lessly shot, when they were doing all the good they could to 

 the landowner and farmer by cleaning his land without pay, and 

 had been ignominiously nailed in regular, close rows, horrible 

 sight, from the top to the bottom of the gable end of the building. 

 I do not believe they suck eggs. Close to their breeding place I 

 have seen nests of Snipe, Curlew, Grolden and Green Plovers, 

 and Grouse, and I have never once seen them poaching the moors 

 in organized gangs as you may see the Rooks doing any "Whitsun 

 week. 



On crossing the moors to Roughting Linn we observed several 

 concentric circles on the bare sandstone rocks fast becoming ob- 

 literated ; and far off wc could see the celebrated stone inscribed 

 with concentric circles, a true roche moutonnee, the circles on which 

 have been discoursed upon by the late Mr. John C. Langlands, 

 Dr. Johnston, Mr. Greenwell, Mr. G. Tate, and others. At 

 Roughting Linn the party sought long and laboriously for a sight 

 of the Royal-fern, but in vain. The place that knew it, etc., etc. 

 The bog at the head of the burn and its feeder is now well 

 drained, and the natural wood which stood in its centre, so gra- 

 phically described by Dr. Johnston, "Natural History, Eastern 

 Border," Yol. I., is represented by an old Birk or two. The drains 

 here are deep and effective. In a succession of dry seasons they 

 would be more effective still, as the grass and ling would be sl\ 

 destroyed ; but we saw plenty of the Sweet Gale {MJyrica Gale), 

 and the Petty "Whin ( Genista atigliea) was abundant ; and close 

 to the Inscribed Rock very large specimens of the Adder's Tongue 

 were plentiful. The Inscribed Rock itself was to us a failure \ 

 one side had been taken away by quarrymen for farm purposes, 



