1898.] Notes, 255 



BIRDS. 



Tame Culls. 



It may, perhaps, be of interest to the readers of the Irish Naturalist, if 

 I give an account of some tame gulls which have been or are in my 

 possession. About nine years ago I got a pair of young Herring Gulls 

 sent to me from Rathlin Island. I had them for five years when one of 

 them was killed by a horse, and the other disappeared shortly after- 

 wards. We kept one of their wings cut, and they lived on the lawn and 

 pleasure-ground around the Rector}', coming to be fed either to the 

 hall-door or dining-room window. 



When three years old their plumage was almost perfect, and during 

 the breeding season they were very noisy, croaking and rolling them- 

 selves in the grass as if making a nest. Being only an amateur I was at 

 a loss to know what sex they were of, and applied to a person of very 

 high attainments in the ornithological world for the distinctive marks 

 by which the male may be known from the female. I am sorry to say 

 the information I received was so vague and indefinite that I was 

 doomed for the present to remain in ignorance. However, I determined 

 to solve the mystery for myself, and so two years ago last June, while 

 travelling in Co. Donegal, I found myself on Bunglas Point, and there 

 made the acquaintance of a local fisherman, who promised to send me 

 a few young Herring Gulls (I pointed out to him the kind I wanted). The 

 result was he sent me half-a-dozen youngsters in a box by rail, which 

 arrived safely. Four of these I have still, and have watched them 

 develop ever since with very keen interest, and have mastered the diffi- 

 culty of distinguishing the sexes. I know now that the first pair I had 

 were both males. Of these four there is one male and three females. 

 The male is much larger than the female. He walks with his head 

 erect, and his neck extended. The crown of his head is large and flat, 

 and he has a noble air about him, which is lacking in the females. 

 Although only two years old, his plumage is nearly mature. During the 

 spring of this j-ear his bill cast off its sombre brown colour, and has now 

 all the tints of the fully developed bird. The females on the other hand 

 still wear their mottled dress, and their bills are still brown. I am anxious 

 to see if they will hatch next 5^ear. The male has already made a selec- 

 tion among the young ladies, and seem's to be "engaged" to one of 

 them. This attachment began in May last. It is very amusing to watch 

 this pair of ^^outhful lovers, bowing and " spakin' " to each other. These 

 attentions from the male have given rise to jealousy in the heart of 

 his fair spouse towards her less fortunate sisters, whom she persecutes in a 

 most shameless manner, and even at times induces her fiance to join 

 in the persecution. Of course their love-making was more demonstrative 

 during the months of May and June. I hope at a future date to record 

 further developments in these lovers' career. 



Tanderagee. Wm. M'Endoo. 



