118 NATURAL HISTORY [Bjrrfs. 



Species 2. — The Arctic Gull. 



Brit. Zool. 420. Brit. Zool. Illus. 35. tab. 22. Faskidar, Mart. West. Isles, 

 TS. Larus parasiticus, Lin. Si/s. 226. Ore. Scouti-Aulin. 



This is a migratory bird, comes in May and departs with 

 the sea-swallow, or great tern. I suppose it builds with the 

 rest of the tribe in the rocks *, though I never saw its nest, 

 but it continues here the whole breeding-time. 



It seems this gull can make little shift for itself, being hin- 

 dered by some natural defect or laziness, for it always makes 

 the others its providers. It is most commonly on the wing, 

 and wherever it sees a flock of others a-fishing, it hovers about 

 till it sees something caught, upon which it immediately sets 

 out in chace of the captor, and never leaves tormenting it till 

 it drops the prey, Avhich the other always catches before it 

 reaches the water. Even when it has it in its stomach it is 

 not safe, for all the gulls, upon being frightened or teased, are 

 apt to throw up what is in their stomachs, which I have often 

 seen upon shooting a gull ; it would vomit up a quantity of 

 worms or whatever else was in its belly. The parasitic gull 

 is acquainted with this, and if he misses prey the other way, 

 torments the first he can get on, till in this manner he receives 

 the fruit of his toil ; but notwithstanding the opinion of many 



* It builds in moorish grounds, and among heath, with the lapwing and the 

 snipe. Author. 



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