190 British Birds, 



during some weeks in the spring, it may frequently be 

 seen in the new-ploughed or sowed fields at some 

 miles' distance from the salt water. Its nest may 

 sometimes be found on marshes or low flat islands, 

 such as are not rare in some of our southern estuaries, 

 while in other districts it breeds on high rocks. In 

 either case, the nest is a structure of considerable size, 

 formed of sea-weed and grass, and the female deposits 

 two or three eggs in it, which are a good deal varied 

 in appearance : " Some," says Mr. Hewitson, " with a 

 ground colour of light blue, or straw colour, others 

 green or brown ; some a good deal like eggs of the 

 Oyster-catcher, others covered all over with minute 

 spots." Some, moreover, are sufficiently well blotched 

 and spotted with ash colour and dark brown ; others 

 well streaked with the brown, but with only a few 

 spots of the grey colour. — Fig, 2, plate XI L 



HERRING GULL— (Z«;'z/i- argentatus). 



A very numerous species in many different parts of 

 the kingdom, where rocky coasts sufficiently high and 

 precipitous are met with. I have seen it abundantly 

 at Flamborough Head and St. Abb's Head, and in 

 smaller numbers on many parts of the Yorkshire 

 coast north of Flamborough, as well as in others 

 not distant from St. Abb's. Here we see it on the 

 ploughed lands very abundantly in early spring. The 

 earliest date for their appearance this year (1 896) was 

 February 21st. I heard them also on February 26th ; 

 and I have heard them again as late as three days ago, 

 or May 26th. It usually selects for the site of its nest a 

 flat ledge or other rock-surface towards the upper part 



