202 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



that he had on the same day shot an immature Iceland Gull, 

 somewhat smaller than one which he had killed on the 31st 

 December. The two birds measured as follows :— 



I. Specimen in last stage of immaturity : 



Length, 21 ; wing, from flexure, 15| inches. 



II. Specimen in plumage of first winter : 



Length, 21 J; wing, from flexure, 16 inches. 

 At our next meeting I hope to exhibit these and others which 

 may be obtained during the interval. 



On Saturday last, the 4th inst., I joined Mr Harvie Brown and 

 Mr Robert Paterson in another excursion to the same place, and 

 immediately on reaching the ferry we were pleased to find several 

 Glaucous Gulls hovering lazily in the vicinity. One of these, a 

 splendid adult male, now on the table, alighted on the mud within 

 fifty yards, and, on going cautiously forward, Mr Harvie Brown 

 at once secured it. This was the great catch of the day; but the 

 excursion was not without other important fruits, as we were 

 fortunate enough to see and fairly recognize, five, if not six, 

 adult specimens of the Iceland Gull, which is a much rarer species 

 on the British coasts. Of the identification of these I have not 

 the least doubt. We had a boat at our service, and were rowed 

 across to the opposite banks, where, however, we procured 

 nothing but an adult Kittiwake. It is worth noticing here that 

 on returning to the spot some hours afterwards, my two friends 

 shot six adult Kittiwakes from a flock of certainly not more than 

 150 birds, and saw many more, shewing that my previous estimate 

 would not apply to the present gull population of the firth. It 

 shews, moreover, the advantage of repeated visits to such a 

 locality for the purposes of observation ; indeed, to form a correct 

 idea of both numbers and species, it is absolutely necessary to be 

 there at various states of the tide and in all kinds of weather, 

 besides waiting occasionally until the fishermen begin to draw 

 their nets. 



During this excursion I can safely say that I did not see one 

 fiftieth part of the numbers of sea-gulls I saw on the 27th Decem- 

 ber; but before we left, Mr Harvie Brown suggested that we should 

 proceed along the banks in the direction of Dunmore, and I was 

 glad we did so, as we had an opportunity of observing by far the 

 largest congregation of Black-backed and Glaucous Gulls I had yet 

 seen. The birds were all sitting on the mud, far out of range of 



