HERRING GULL. 549 



the ground colour pale yellowish-grey, brownish-grey, light- 

 brown, or olivaceous, sometimes dotted with dark-brown and 

 purplish-gi'ey, sometimes clouded in large patches, and some- 

 times dotted, spotted, and clouded, or even covered witli 

 tortuous and angular markings. In fact, in a place strewn 

 with their nests, one may have difficulty in finding the eggs 

 of any two very similar. Generally the eggs of the same 

 nest are coloured nearly alike, but sometimes otherwise. If 

 nnmolested the young remain in the nest until their feathers 

 are somewhat grown ; but they are always ready to leave it 

 on being alarmed. They then conceal themselves by squat- 

 ting among the herbage, or in crevices. If pursued they will 

 not hesitate at any age to betake themselves to the water. 

 When the young are fledged, all the birds leave the breeding- 

 places, and disperse along the coasts, frequenting estuaries 

 especially, and sands at the mouth of streams. The young 

 birds of different flocks keep much together during the 

 winter. The larger Gulls take three years before their 

 plumage acquires its permanent hues, and one might suppose 

 them capable of breeding the second year ; but, whether this 

 be the case or not, I have never seen either a pair of imma- 

 ture Herring Gulls having a nest, or an immatured paired 

 with an adult bird. Sometimes, however, immature birds 

 may be seen in the breeding places, and, on the other hand, 

 flocks of mature birds, which seem barren, may be seen 

 during the summer frequenting places where there are no 

 nests. When one invades a breeding place, the birds for the 

 most part leave their nests, and fly about, uttering loud 

 undulated cries, now and then alight on the grass or rocks, 

 and manifest much anxiety, but neither feign lameness, nor 

 approach very near. 



In Shetland, as Dr. Edmondston informs me, '" the Her- 

 ring Gull breeds almost always in cHffs of difficult access, 

 hardly ever in flat situations." Now, as in the Outer 

 Hebrides^ it very often breeds on islands as flat as they can 

 be in a gneiss country, and very seldom in clifis, the difference 

 in habits must depend upon circumstances, perhaps not easily 

 appreciable. On an island in the Bay of Fundy, Mr. Audu- 

 bon found it nestling on fir trees, and Avas informed that 



