132 The Irish Naturalist. 



peared tired after it, seeming disinclined to leave the field, and 

 when disturbed fi34ng only a short distance and pitching again. 



On the 26th December, same year, when walking along the 

 shore at Killanly, I observed a young Iceland Gull, with a 

 young Herring Gull, resting on the water about thirty yards 

 from the strand, and three da3^s after, on the 29th, being anxious 

 to obtain some Purple Sandpipers for a friend's collection, I 

 visited a favourite haunt of theirs on the coast about two miles 

 below Bnniscrone, on the Co. Sligo .side of the bay. When 

 about half wa}-, I observed an immature Iceland Gull flying 

 about a grass field where a flock of Common Gulls were resting, 

 but as it did not come within shot, I passed on to the sand- 

 pipers' haunt ; having shot some specimens I set out on my 

 return, and when again passing by the field in which I had 

 seen the gull in the morning, I was agreeabl}^ surprised at 

 seeing it there .still, and as it flew out over the shore, coming 

 within easy shot, I took advantage of the chance, and brought 

 it down wdth a charge of No. 5. It proved to be a bird in the 

 first year's plumage, and was the same I had seen in the mor- 

 ning, a broken feather in the wing identifying it. 



My next meeting wdth this species of gull was in November, 

 1887, when I shot a bird, also in the first year's plumage, that 

 haunted one of my ploughed fields for several days in the 

 company of Black-headed and Common Gulls, feeding after the 

 plough. This bird was in very poor condition, for when skin- 

 ning it not a particle of fat was visible on any part af the body. 

 Since the date last mentioned no Iceland Gulls have come 

 under my observation until the present year, when on the 9th 

 of Januarj^ as I was walking in one of my fields near the 

 shore, a splendid-looking bird, exhibiting the cream3^-coloured 

 second j^ear's plumage, flew close p^st me along the shore, 

 alighting on the water near the Scurmore Ice-house : and on 

 the next day I saw it again standing on a rock near the same 

 place. This bird was so very large that at first I thought it 

 was a Glaucous ; but its buoyant, gliding flight, showed it to 

 be an Icelander. 



On the 3rd February, when on the shore at Carrahubbock, 

 below the village of Bnniscrone, where I had gone to search 

 for shells, I observed another bird (or probably the same) 

 swimming about a rock-pool amongst some Herring Gulls, 

 and it w^as, as Iceland Gulls usuallj^ are, very tame and unsus- 

 picious, allowing me to approach within forty 3'ards while it 

 was washing and dressing its plumage. I remained for nearl}^ 

 half an hour looking at it through my glass, being well able 

 to identify it by comparing its size with that of a young Her- 

 ring Gull standing alongside ; and also from being able to see 

 distinctly that the ends of the closed wings extended consi- 

 derably beyond the tail — an unfailing mark of distinction 

 betw^een the Iceland and Glaucous Gulls. 



Two days after, on the 5th, as it was blowing a gale from the 

 north-west, I walked to Bnniscrone expecting to meet the 



