MK. J. II. GURNEY, JUN., ON GULLB ON THE NORFOLK COAST. 327 
appear soon after this, ami at 3 p.in., with the wind still west, but 
greatly moderated, numbers were passing in a westerly direction. 
On tlie 2Gth of the same month, great numbers were again 
Hying west as before, and as I was very desirous of gaining an 
accurate notion of their numbers, 1 stood for exactly two hours on 
tlio .shore at Ovenstrand and counted them roughly as they passed. 
In tlie first hour, commencing at 3.20 p.m., about four hundred 
and fifteen passed ; in the second, about three hundred and forty- 
live. They were very clo.se to the shore, and were nearly all in 
flocks of from ten to twenty each. They consisted of a great 
many Common Gulls, and a good many Pilack-backed, chiefly the 
Lesser Black-backed kind, and there was one Black-headed, ami, 
1 think, a good many young Herring Gulls. At half-past five 
their flocks were still passing as steadily as ever, and every flock 
took exactly the same cour.«e. How long they liad been pa.ssing, 
when first seen, it is impossible to say ; but probably from early 
in the morning as the wind had been high, and they doubtless 
continued passing far into the night. The wind was X.N.W. 
The next day it w<is in the same (juarter, but there appeared to be 
no Gulls at all. The following day it shifted to W.X. W., and 
blew luml, but not so hard as on the 2Gth. Many Gulls were 
jiassing, all going Avest. Probably from two thousand to three 
thousand passed, and it may be estimated that five thoiusand passed 
Avest on the 2Gth. 
During the autumn of 1883, no special “passages” of Gulls 
Avere noticed at Cromer, Avhich Avas in part due to my absence in 
Xovember. 
During the autumn of ISSG, Ave had but little Avest Avind, and 
nothing Avorthy of mention Avas seen on the Norfolk coast 
until the 13th, Avhen Mr. G. Hunt observed flocks of Gulls, 
amounting in the aggregate to thousands, Avhich continued 
passing all day over the marshes at ^Martliam, about tAvo miles 
from the coast. I noted the Avind that day as N.>T.W., and 
suppose tliat these Gulls made the sea at Palling. They probably 
jAasscd Cromer afterwards, but I Avas absent that day, and had no 
information about them. They may, however, have gone straight 
across Norfolk for the Wash, as Mr. Hunt thinks Avas the case. 
On the 19th the Avind Avas S.W., there having been no Avest 
Avind on the three interA'ening days. On that day a great number, 
