426 THE HERRING GULL. 



grand and noisy circles overhead. In the open spaces, where 

 fire had destroyed the trees, a good many nests were on the 

 ground, built as described above; but many more were 

 on the almost level tops of the trees, and were constructed 

 precisely like those on the ground. In foggy weather this 

 immense colony of birds, much magnified by the mists as 

 they describe their maize of circles in the sky, are a 

 weirdly grand sight, which cannot be surpassed even by 

 that of the hundreds that sail through the mists arising from 

 Niagara Falls in winter. On searching the above locality 

 for nests, one is well convinced of the increased security 

 resulting from this change in the manner of nesting; and 

 one is not a little surprised at the sagacity of the bird, 

 which has availed itself of so evident an advantage. 



Their breeding habitat on the Atlantic is from Northern 

 Maine and Nova Scotia northward. 



At their breeding places these Gulls are quite noisy. 

 They have a loud, clear note, sounding like chee-ah, every 

 now and then repeated, and a shorter nasal hunk, kunk. 

 These notes are uttered in a very spirited manner, as they 

 describe their circles high overhead when their nests are 

 being disturbed. They are also accompanied by a harsh 

 rattling sound — kuk-kitk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kiik. 



"How many kinds of Gulls breed on these shoals?" I in- 

 quired of an old gentleman, as the tug was nearing one of 

 the well-known breeding places. " Two," was the answer, 

 " White uns an' gray uns." So might any one think who is 

 not acquainted with the history of these birds; but the fact 

 is that the white ones and gray ones are all of the same 

 kind, the young birds, in their gray plumage, requiring sev- 

 eral years to reach the mature coloration. 



The old gentleman in question must have mistaken, how- 

 ever, the appearance of the birds later in the season for 



