BlUTlSn: BIRDS' NESTS. 115 



GULL, COMMON. 



Description of Parent Birds. — Length about 

 eighteen inches. Bill rather short, slightly curved 

 downward at the tip, and. yellow in colour. Irides 

 orange-brown. Head and neck snowy- white. Back 

 and wings French grey ; tips of wings black, spotted 

 with white, on account of some of the primaries 

 having white ends. Tail-coverts and quills snowy- 

 white. Chin, throat, breast, belly, and vent snowy- 

 wdiite. Legs, toes, and webs greenish-yellow. 



The female is similar in plumage, but slightly 

 smaller in size. 



Situation and Locality . — On the ground amongst 

 heather and coarse grass ; on ledges and in crevices 

 of rock round the coast of Scotland ; on islands ; in 

 inland lochs and tarns ; also in suitable places in 

 Ireland, but now nowhere in either England or 

 Wales. Our illustration was procured on the West 

 Coast of Scotland. 



Materials. — Heather, dry seaweed, and dead 

 grass. It may be observed that a somewhat large 

 nest is built as a rule. 



Eggs. — Two to four ; generally three, buffish- 

 brown or dark olive-brown in ground-colour, spotted, 

 blotched, and streaked with grey, dark brown, and 

 black, irregularly distributed. Size about 2 '25 b}^ 

 1'65 in. The smallness of the spots and the 

 size of the eggs enable collectors easily to identify 

 them. 



Time. — May and June. 



Remarls. — Kesident, but subject to local move- 

 ment. Notes : a kind of squeal. Local and other 

 names : Winter Mew, Sea Mew, Sea Mall or Maw, 

 Sea Gull, Sea Cob, Blue Maa. Gregarious. A 

 light sitter, and clamorous when disturbed. 



