26 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



adopt quaint little ways when courting, at which pastime they 

 spend the greater part of the day. The male may often be 

 seen strutting before his partner with a tiny fish in his bill, 

 first offering it her, and then turning quickly aside as she is 

 about to snatch the proffered morsel, behaving in much the 

 same way as his human confrere would under similar circum- 

 stances. That there are occasionally "odd men out" in this 

 pairing-off process must evidently occur, for three birds were 

 to be seen chasing each other on three consecutive days. The 

 leading bird carried a small fish, and the two others seemed 

 quite unable to overtake him in spite of their eagerness. Just 

 before laying commenced, individual pairs were seen soaring to 

 a tremendous height, then, half-closing their wings, would 

 shoot down to a few feet of the water. In doing so they 

 would call in a characteristic way. Pair after pair would then 

 mount into the air and repeat the performance. It is curious- 

 others too have noticed it before that for a time a colony of 

 these birds may vanish into space, and their breeding haunts 

 appear to have been deserted, when all of a sudden the whole 

 body will appear again, vociferating louder than ever. This bird 

 is none the less charming from a photographer's standpoint, 

 since it appears to take no notice of the presence of human 

 beings, evidently trusting to its protective coloration for conceal- 

 ment. The bird whose portrait I succeeded in obtaining re- 

 turned to its nest regularly after an interval of two minutes. 



BLACK-HEADED GULL, Larns ridibundus, Linn. Owing to the 

 protection afforded, is on the increase. In every colony there 

 are to be found several nests of the Common Gull, who, being 

 of a less nervous disposition, are always the last to leave their 

 nests when disturbed, and the first to return. One bird which, 

 for some considerable time, we had under observation invariably 

 insisted in first settling on a nest of the former species, where- 

 upon it would be attacked and buffeted by the rightful owner, 

 assisted by the efforts of the rest of the colony. Like the 

 Terns under similar conditions, it is curious to note how the 

 whole colony acts in concert. Often while peaceably settled on 

 their nests, acting on an alarm note of one of their number, they 

 would arise, and a great hubbub, sounding in the distance like 

 that of a gigantic swarm of bees, would ensue. A minute later 

 they, as if by common consent, all wheel. For a moment 

 complete silence reigns, once more to be broken as they 

 return to their nests. Owing to quarrels innumerable between 

 the neighbours a great quantity of eggs get smashed, and when 

 the young are hatched conditions are worse still. We were 

 greatly impressed by the great mortality amongst the young. 

 Many appeared to die from sheer want ; others we found in 



