130 The Irish Na hi ra list. 



which is so like that of the Great Black-backed Gull ; while 

 there is no gull visiting our coasts that has the graceful, gliding 

 flight of the Iceland, owing to its superior length of wing, and 

 although it ma}^ be sometimes difficult for the casual observer 

 to distinguish between a small Glaucous and a large Iceland 

 Gull (even when in the hand), yet an unerring mark of dis- 

 tinction between the two species is the comparative length of 

 the closed wings with the tail. In the Glaucous the tips of 

 the primaries barely reach to the end of the tail feathers, 

 perhaps a little beyond in some specimens, while in the 

 Iceland the}'' extend from two, to two and a-half inches 

 be3'ond it. 



When seen fljdng in the company of other gulls both 

 vSpecies can be easil}^ recognised by their white primaries, 

 offering such a striking contrast to the black-tipped wings of 

 all our native gulls, and also b}' the peculiar-looking creamj- 

 coloured plumage of the immature birds, especially of those 

 in their second winter. The Iceland Gull is a very irregular 

 visitor to our coasts, and, as far as I know, severe seasons do 

 not appear to bring them to us in any larger numbers than 

 mild ones, and duringthe hard winters of 1867-1868, 1878-1879, 

 and 1880-188 1 I never met them at all. 



I first became acquainted with this rare northern visitor in 

 Cork Harbour, in January, 1849, when a large flight of Iceland 

 Gulls must have arrived on our southern coast, for I observ^ed 

 them in different parts of the harbour during that and the 

 succeeding month of February. The first bird I noticed was 

 on the 25th January, when returning with my brother from 

 shooting on Seamount Marsh, and as we were passing along 

 the embankment a splendid-looking bird flew close past us, 

 and its w^hite wings and cream3'-coloured plumage showing 

 almost quite white in the sunshine, at once announced it to 

 be a stranger ; but although it passed within a few 3'ards, we 

 lost the opportunit}' of securing such a rare prize, for both 

 our guns were unloaded at that time. Again, on the 29th, 

 when in a boat crossing the harbour from Ringaskiddy to 

 Oueenstown, we observed one flying near the guardship off 

 Haulbowline Island, and as it wheeled round b\^ our boat, my 

 brother was so fortunate as to bring it down at the first shot. 

 This bird was, I think, in the second 3'ear's plumage, and in 

 very fine condition, weighing two pounds, and was presented 

 to m3' old friend, the late Dr. J. R. Harv^ey of Cork, and is the 

 bird mentioned in Mr. Thompson's third volume as the fourth 

 Irish specimen that had come under his notice. On the 

 2nd Februar3% as we were again crossing the harbour to 

 Queenstown, two Iceland Gulls appeared near Haulbowline, 

 and about an hour later, as we w^ere on our wa3^ to James- 

 brook, the residence of Mr. R. W. G. Adams, when passing 

 Cuskinny another pair were seen, but neither was obtained. 

 Again, when returning from QueeUvStown on the 8th of same 



