210 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



PAPER READ. 



On the Occurrence of the Iceland Gull (Larus leucopterus) in the Estuary 

 of the Forth during the present Winter, with notes on the habits of the 

 species, from ]jersonal observation. By Mr John A. Harvie 

 Brown, M.B.O.U., corresponding member. 



Mr R. Gray, in his paper " On the Sea-gulls at present 

 frequenting the Estuary of the Forth," has already drawn the 

 attention of the members of this Society to the extraordinary 

 invasion of Arctic gulls. When first observed and commented 

 upon, a few specimens of the rarer species of White-winged Gull 

 (Larus leucopterus) had been observed by Dr Dewar, and after- 

 wards they were seen in some numbers by Mr Gray and myself 

 on the 4th January. As Mr Gray mentioned in his paper, we 

 identified at least six adult birds of this species on that day. 

 Since then I have met with them abundantly; on some days 

 they were much more numerous than the Glaucous Gull {L. 

 glaucus). But it was only at sunrise on the 13th of this month 

 that I realised in my mind the vast numbers which are frequent- 

 ing the firth. Whether those I saw on this day had only lately 

 arrived, or had merely remained out of sight, it is difiicult of 

 course to determine, but I think, from what I have observed of 

 late, that the latter is the more probable supposition. On the 

 above mentioned date, I counted in a few seconds no less than 

 twelve adult Iceland Gulls as they flew low against the wind, 

 showing the white primaries distinctly, and as I afterwards slowly 

 drifted in a boat along the side of the mud-banks, Iceland Gulls 

 were constantly in sight, two, three, or even more at a time. 

 These birds were all flying away inland; and, in company with 

 Glaucous and other gulls, were alighting on a ploughed field on 

 Dunmore estate. Towards the afternoon scarcely a single Iceland 

 Gull was visible over the water. As a large body of gulls have 

 for some time past frequented this particular field, I am in the 

 belief that the Iceland Gulls have been generally associating with 

 them, and, in fact, that they are not so exclusively maritime 

 in their habits as has been described. Moreover,' it is 

 seldom that I have observed the Iceland Gull follo^ving the shoals 

 of Garvies {Clupea sj)rattus), or fishing for them in the manner 

 of the Kittiwake (Eissa tridactyla), or even to the same extent 

 as the Glaucous or other large gulls. They seem rather to hold 



