212 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



notes chuckles his tittering trill of pleasure. I watched a flock 

 on May 14th, 1908, feeding on a mud-flat. Several had drawn 

 up one leg, like the Greenshanks, and were hopping about after 

 small Crabs, their favourite prey. I noticed that whenever one 

 overbalanced his " centre of gravity," rather than put down the 

 other leg, he spread his wings to preserve hi3 equilibrium. I 

 observed, however, that when the rising water crawled up the 

 leg, both were used to get upon the wing. The way they mani- 

 pulate small (acorn-sized) Crabs is very interesting to watch. 

 The crustacean is shaken and kneaded, and the legs dropped, 

 either from fright or from the jerk, until the carapace is entirely 

 denuded of them. Then with an upward lift of the mandibles 

 the "body" passes into the gullet and disappears, each now 

 harmless leg being carefully picked up and swallowed. By this 

 method not only is the Crab reduced to easily swallowed dimen- 

 sions, but all chances of nipping are at an end. 



I will mention but one more acquired habit, and wipe my pen, 

 to be resumed, I hope, at a future date upon a theme so inter- 

 esting to myself. The parish steeple at Yarmouth has for some 

 years past been tenanted by an increasing number of Jackdaws. 

 Something like eight pairs have this year started to nest. Below 

 the church spreads out a large open market-place, wherein, at 

 night, a row of chipped potato stalls tempt the lover of cheap and 

 light refreshments to speculate. Every morning, in the early 

 hours of daylight, these birds drop down to search for thrown- 

 away or dropped chips, finding a ready and palatable breakfast 

 to be had for the trouble of picking it up. 



Spoonbills at Yarmouth. — Early in the third week in April 

 three Spoonbills made their appearance at Yarmouth. On one 

 occasion they alighted in a tame and confiding way upon the 

 edge of the Marine Parade, and for a time wandered about upon 

 the small sand-dunes south of the town, a most unusual spot for 

 such birds. They then found their way to Breydon flats, where 

 they remained for some days. When I saw them (on the 19th) 

 they were restlessly feeding, now " croming " down a drain, and 

 now scrambling up on to the flats and bibbling in amongst the 

 Zostera. A Greater Black-backed Gull had joined them, remain- 

 ing in their company all the afternoon. One bird was fully adult, 

 and had a very fine mop of a crest. 



