206 



British Bmh. 



it-impossible to make any attempt to express them in words. Some of the notes 

 are quite musical, while others consist of a harsh scream. The nest is seldom 

 placed at any height on the rocks, but j;enerally at a low level, near the shore, a 

 scanty collection of dead grass or sea-weed forming the nests in a little patch of 

 grass between the low-lying rocks. Sometimes the}' are found on the shores of 

 inland fresh-water lakes, and the Common Gull has been also known to utilize the 

 deserted nest of a Crow or other bird in a tree. The eggs are three in number and 

 vary considerablj- in ground-colour, but the markings are like those of other Gulls. 



"'*" iiijs 



Thi; Glaucous Gull. 



THE GL.\UCOUS 

 GULL. 



[Lanis hypcrboveiis.) 



This is a large species of Gull with a white head and tail, and 

 IS especially distinguished by its white primaries. It is a winter 

 visitor to Great Britain and occurs mostly in the northern parts 

 of our area. It is found in the Arctic regions of both Hemis- 

 pheres durnig the breeding season, and migrates south in winter. In habits the 

 species resembles the Great Black-backed Gull, and like that bird is a great robber, 

 feeding on fish, Crustacea and also on young birds, as well as on offal or anything 

 It can pick up. The nest is a depression in the sand, lined with sea-weed, and the 

 eggs, which are three in number, have no especial characteristic to distinguish them 

 from the eggs of other Gulls, and they look like large editions of eggs of the Lesser 

 Black-backed Gull. The length is about three inches. 



This species has white quills like the Glaucous Gull, but is 

 smaller (wing 16-5 inches |. It visits Great Britain in the winter, 

 but occurs principally oft" the coasts of Scotland, occasionally in 

 some numbers. It nests in Greenland, and wanders south in 

 winter to Great Britain and the shores of Norway and the Baltic 

 Sea. In its habits it is more like the Herring-Gull than the Great Black-backed 

 Gull, and is not so active a bird as the latter. The nest is a depression in the 



THE ICELAND 



GULL. 



(Larus Icucoptcrus.) 



See p. 204. 



