Birds. 453 



(JLarws marinus), in its Jirst Years State [pronounced to be so 

 by an able Ornithologist, to whom we have submitted Mr. 

 Lees's Communication and characteristic Drawing), killed near 

 the City of Worcester, on some Day between January 20. 

 and 27. 1833.] — It measured nearly 3 ft. in length, and 

 more than 6 ft. in the full expansion of the wings. The 

 whole plumage is mottled with brown and white ; but the 

 under parts are almost entirely white, the spots and markings 

 being there very faint. The bill is of a darkish horn colour. 

 The legs and feet, when the bird was killed, were of a pure 

 snow white, but are now faded to a dull horn colour. The 

 irides were dark reddish brown. It is evidently the Wagel 

 gull of Pennant (Arctic Zool., vol. ii. p. 453., and Brit. Zool., 

 vol. ii. p. 247.; and Bewick's British Birds, vol. ii. p. 196. 

 of my edition), now considered to be the first or second year's 

 young of the Zarus marinus. It agrees tolerably well with 

 Bewick's short description ; and his cut, although it exhibits 

 the neck rather too short, is not a bad representation. [Mr. 

 Lees^had, farther, identified the bird, in detail, with some qua- 

 lifications, with Stephens's description of the Lkrus marinus 

 (Shaw's General Zoology, vol. xiii. part i. p. 186.), and with 

 the cobb (L. marinus L.) of Rennie's Montagu's Om. Diet., 

 p. 93. — J.D.I 



Mr. Flinn of this city, who killed the specimen upon 

 which I have been thus remarking, gives me the following 

 account of its capture : — It was scared from the Severn on 

 the side of Pitchcroft, a little above Worcester, by some 

 bargemen, and flew into a meadow on the other side of the 

 river, a little above the Dog and Duck public house. The 

 bird being pointed out to a friend who was with Mr. Flinn, 

 he fired, and broke one of its wings, upon which a spaniel 

 was detached to seize the gull, who was attempting to escape. 

 Immediately, however, upon the dog's approach, the gull 

 seized it by the nose with its powerful beak, and shook the 

 animal with such fury, that it was glad to make a precipitate 

 retreat. Mr. Flinn's friend now approached, when the gull 

 instantly fastened on his thigh, and was with difficulty dis- 

 lodged. Mr. Flinn himself now came up, and felled the 

 bird to the earth with a stout stick, but it almost instantly 

 rose again, and, darting on Mr. Flinn's arm, furiously assailed 

 him ; nor was it finally killed without considerable trouble. 



This species, according to Montagu, " is not very plenti- 

 ful." He states, on the information of fishermen, that it 

 breeds on " the steep Holmes, and on Lundy Islands in the 

 Bristol Channel," from whence, most probably, it journeyed 

 up the course of the river to this neighbourhood. 

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