682 ICELAND GULL. 



winters this species is not rare on the coast of Wales. In January 

 and February 1892, it was rather plentiful in the north and west 

 of Scotland ; and the invasion extended to the north and west of 

 Ireland, where the species had been previously considered rare, 

 though met with occasionally, chiefly on the estuary of the Moy and 

 in Donegal. It may now be considered of frequent occurrence, 

 especially on the west coast, and exceptionally it has been observed 

 in summer. On its migration northwards this bird has been observed 

 by Mr. Cordeaux in the Humber district as late as April i8th. 



The Iceland Gull is merely a wanderer to the Faeroes, and even the 

 island from which it derives its trivial name is only inhabited by it 

 from September to May. During that period it is also found on the 

 coasts of Norway, the Baltic (seldom), the North Sea, and the north 

 and west of France down to the Gulf of Gascony (rarely). In 

 the breeding- season it appears to be confined to Jan Mayen Island, 

 Greenland, and perhaps the American side of Baffin Bay, though 

 our naturalists did not observe it in Smith Sound during the ex- 

 pedition of 1875-6; while it is of regular occurrence as far south 

 as Lake Michigan, and sometimes reaches Boston, during the colder 

 months. All the birds assigned to this species from the North 

 Pacific and Bering Sea are, in my opinion, L. glauciis. 



The nest is often placed upon ledges of lofty cliffs. The eggs, 2-3 

 in number, are of a greenish stone-colour blotched with brown : 

 measurements 275 by i"8 in. The food consists chiefly of small 

 fishes, but crustaceans as well as refuse are greedily devoured, and 

 Saxby noticed this bird's partiality for oats and other vegetable sub- 

 stances. The flight is far more buoyant than that of the Glaucous 

 Gull — as might be expected from the fact that the Icelander has much 

 longer wings in proportion to its bulk; and Mr. Harvie-Brown has 

 remarked that, when resting upon a mud-bank, it has a neater and 

 more slender appearance and stands higher on its legs. 



The adult in summer has the bill yellow, red at the angle ; 

 mantle pale grey ; secondaries with white tips which form a band 

 contrasting with the grey ; rest of the plumage white ; orbital ring 

 flesh-coloured; legs and feet yellowish flesh-colour. Length 22 in., 

 wing 16-16-5 i"- (extreme). The largest male Iceland Gull does 

 not attain to the length of wing of the smallest female Z. glaucus, 

 in spite of its comparatively longer wing. During the winter months 

 the head and neck are spotted and streaked with grey. The young 

 bird is at first somewhat darker than the immature Z. glauats, 

 but is otherwise similar, and goes through the same stages, till 

 maturity is attained in the fourth year. 



