226 THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



is placed on a tussock in the water, on level dry ground, 

 on a rock or wall, exceptionally in a tree ; indeed, the bird 

 builds anywhere. The eggs (Plate 80) are two or three in 

 number, more rarely four, and vary greatly in ground and 

 markings ; some are bluish, others olive, green, buff, or brown, 

 with blotches, spots, or zones of black, grey, and brown. The 

 nestlings are almost as variable, the down being grey, buff, or 

 brown, mottled and striped with irregular lines of black and 

 brown. At one gullery I found that the legs of various birds 

 of only a few days old were salmon-pink, brown, leaden, or 

 blue-black. The young bird (Plate loi) is at first suffused with 

 brown and shows but little white, most of its motthngs being 

 on the wings and back, but by the autumn the head is whitish 

 with semi-lunar bands of grey on the crown and nape and 

 blotches on the ear-coverts ; the sides of the neck, upper tail- 

 coverts, under parts, and tail are white, the last crossed by a 

 broad brown band, the back is pearl-grey, and the wings and 

 coverts tipped and mottled with grey and brown. The outer 

 primaries show a white centre. The plumage of the adult bird 

 is described above ; the irides are brown. Length, 16 ins. 

 Wing, 1175 ins. Tarsus, 175 ins. 



Little Gull. Lams mijiutus Pallas. 



The Little Gull (Plate 100) breeds in northern Europe and 

 Asia, and winters as far south as northern Africa. Its autumnal 

 migrations appear to trend westward, and as within recent 

 years it has also extended its breeding area westward, it is 

 hardly surprising that to our eastern seaboard it is a fairly 

 regular winter visitor or passage migrant in spring and autumn. 

 In some years it is even plentiful. On the west coast and in 

 Ireland it is more occasional, but is doubtless often overlooked 

 amongst the numerous Black-headed Gulls. 



In flight this bird looks smaller and more round-winged than 



