THE BLACK-HEADED GULL 241 



follow me for some distance from their breeding-place, all 

 the time calling loudly. When the young are hatched the 

 scene is even more animated, and the anxiety and excitement 

 are immensely increased. 



The nest of the Black-headed Gull varies a good deal in 

 size. In some cases it is little more than a hollow in the 

 ground ; but in others it is a well-formed structure of reeds 

 and rushes and coarse grass, banked high above the sur- 

 rounding marsh. Many nests are made in the centre of the 

 rush tufts, or in clumps of coarse grass, and I have even 

 known them built amongst the reeds in the shallow water, 

 where they very closely resembled the nest of a Moorhen or 

 a Coot. The eggs are three or four in number, and present 

 great diversity of colour, size, and shape. They vary in 

 ground colour from rich brown to pale bluish-green, spotted 

 and blotched with dark brown and violet -gray. On some 

 eggs the markings take the form of streaks; and on many 

 most of the spots and blotches form an irregular zone round 

 the larger end. Very eccentric -looking eggs may often be 

 found, with the colouring matter in a dense circular patch 

 at the large end, gradually tinting off into the ground colour, 

 or with only one or two enormous patches of colour here and 

 there, and the remainder of the shell quite free from markings. 

 Vast numbers of the eggs of this Gull are taken for food — in 

 some places the birds being a valuable source of income to 

 the owner of the property on which they have formed their 

 busy colony. Crop after crop of eggs is gathered, the foolish 

 Gulls laying a second or even a third clutch. They must 

 indeed be strongly attached to their breeding grounds to 

 thus submit to such systematic robbery; but if they are 

 allowed to rear the second or third lot of eggs they seem 

 satisfied, and unerringly return the following season to 

 their old haunt. The Black -headed Gull only rears one 

 brood in the season, and as soon as the young can fly the 



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