NON-INDIGENOUS BRITISH BIRDS. 295 



Family LARID.^. Genus Larus. 



Sub-family LARIN.-E. 



LITTLE GULL. 



Larus minutus, Pallas. 



(British : Irregular nomadic autumn and winter migrant.) 



Single Brooded. Laying season, June. 



Breeding area: Northern Palasarctic region. The 

 Little Gull formerly bred in Gottland, also not far from 

 Dantzic, and, according to Herr E. Hartert, may still 

 do so in some parts of North-eastern Germany. It 

 breeds in Esthonia, more commonly on the lakes of 

 Ladoga and Onega in Western Russia, probably in the 

 vicinity of Archangel, and abundantly in the morasses 

 of the Ural. Eastwards it breeds across Southern 

 Siberia to the Stanavoi Mountains and the shores of 

 the Ochotsk Sea. 



Breeding habits : The Little Gull is a rather late 

 migrant, not arriving at its breeding grounds until they 

 are free from ice in May, or early in June, according to 

 locality. The favourite breeding haunts of this Gull are 

 inland swamps and lakes, especially such as contain 

 islands of semi-floating weed and aquatic plants. It is 

 gregarious, and breeds in colonies of varying size. As 

 it returns each season to certain localities, there seems 

 little doubt that this Gull pairs for life. In many of the 

 Baltic colonies it breeds in company with the Common 

 Tern. The nests, which are often made close together, 

 are placed amongst the coarse grass, sedge, reeds, and 

 other aquatic vegetation on the margin of the lake, or 

 upon the masses of floating weed and debris at some 

 distance from the shore. The nests are well-made and 

 somewhat bulky structures, composed externally of dead 



