mr. a. Patterson’s natural history notes from Yarmouth. 181 
August 7th. A dozen Lesser Terns (the most delightful of the 
sea-fliers) on the Potamogeton early this morning in the drizzly 
rain. Wind N. Saw a flock of fifty Curlews in the evening; and 
the twelve Lesser Terns in company with a few Common Terns on 
a mud-flat a few feet away from me. They remained all night 
shrieking around my house-boat. On the evening of the 9th 
I passed a “ dense mass ” of them, probably several hundreds. On 
the 10th they were all gone, a few only turning up at eventide, 
when some hundreds of Gulls, mostly Blackheads, joined them. 
The noise they and the Redshanks, Curlews, Wimbrel and others 
made can simply he described as “ prodigious,” although most 
charming to me. 
While sailing past the “half-mile point,” a hundred yards past 
the Breydon Bridge Works, I observed a small animal plunge into 
the water from the walls and swim boldly across channel towards the 
Five-stake Drain flats. On nearing it in midstream, the animal — 
which proved to be a Weasel — showed fight, and endeavoured to board 
the punt, a proceeding I objected to, and was obliged to gently tap 
him on the head with the blade of the oar. llo sank a yard, but on 
rising to the surface wisely turned again to the shore, and finally 
disappeared in the stone embankment. 1 had no desire to hurt 
him, but a desperate Weasel in a boat was undesirable. Some 
Gulls on the flat had evidently tempted him to make the 
experiment. 
Was much interested on the morning of August 21st watching 
some small Waders on a mud-flat. An immature Turnstone was 
eagerly turning over bits of wood and mud in pursuit of Sandhoppers. 
Some Dunlins and Ringed Plovers persistently gathered in the 
escaping prey before he could reap the reward of his exertions, 
until, becoming desperate, he repeatedly drove them away, and 
finally went away himself to seek a quieter hunting-ground. 
August 22nd. A Spotted Redshank on Breydon and several 
Curlew-Sandpipers. 
While Smelting with Jary the watcher, I caught a number of 
Atherines ( Atherina presbyter). 
On August 25th, several sacks of Norwegian Lobsters ( Nephrops 
norvegicus), from the North Sea, brought to the Wharf. 
September 2nd. Black-tailed Godwit shot, two others seen : 
and several Greenshanks during first week in September. 
N 2 
