NOTES FROM GREAT YARMOUTH. 391 



heads occasionally turned to snatch at prey they had missed 

 when flying end-on at it. 



Owing to the outbreak of war, and all the fishing vessels 

 running into port, the larger Gulls would seem to have been 

 hard pressed. One day in August the Watcher assured me there 

 must have been from 10,000 to 12,000 Gulls of all sorts on the 

 mudflats, where they must have done great execution among, 

 and accounted for, every Shore- Crab and stranded fish or 

 Shrimp that came within reach of keen eyes and strong mandi- 

 bles. I have seldom seen groups of more beautiful adult Greater 

 Black-backed Gulls than on recent days. The Lesser Black- 

 backed Gull I have not seen at all this summer, and deem it 

 rarer year by year. For some unaccountable reason " Grey " 

 Gulls in the second year plumage have been markedly absent, 

 although third and fourth year birds in the conspicuous blotched 

 state have been freely sprinkled among the adult birds. Common 

 Gulls have been scarce also. 



On the last day of the " close " season (August 31st) I saw 

 a crowd of Gulls, a number of Curlews and other waders, 

 scattered all over the vast area of uncovered flats, the tides 

 being so poor they had no need to collect at the "Lumps." A 

 party of nearly a dozen Lapwings, a comparatively scarce 

 visitor to the mudflats, joined other waders upon the muds 

 rendering themselves conspicuous by their rollicking ways 

 and restless movements, one or another rising continually 

 and tumbling about, showing the white under parts. The 

 marshes are extremely dry ; hence their resorting to the mud- 

 flats. 



Dr. H. Wyliys, of this town, when sailing on Wroxham 

 Broad, observed a Tortoise-like creature upon a grassy margin. 

 He secured it, brought it home, and turned it into his garden. 

 After missing it for some days he discovered it in a pit or pool at 

 the lower end of his garden. I went round to see it, and 

 observed its head sticking up out of a weedy corner. With 

 the aid of a rake and a quick snatch of the hand I secured 

 the agile creature and brought it to land. I identified it as the 

 European Pond Tortoise (Emys orbicularis). It was healthy 

 and vigorous, and had undoubtedly been living upon the insects 

 and other creatures in the grass-margined pit, with such Worms 



