66 Baby Birds at Home 



quently a rather bulky structure. In Scot- 

 land, where small islands abound in some of 

 the great sea lochs, the Common Gull is often 

 robbed by rats, so large and fierce, that they 

 occasionally kill and eat the sitting bird on 

 her nest. 



From two to four eggs are laid, although 

 the number found is generally three. These 

 are buffish brown or dark olive brown in 

 colour, marked with dark brown blotches 

 and spots. 



Young Common Gulls soon leave the nest 

 and squat about in the heather or grass, not 

 far from where they have been hatched. 

 They are fed upon scraps of fish, worms and 

 grubs, and the writer has seen their parents 

 visit a heronry near the sea, in order to pick 

 up any unconsidered trifle dropped by their 

 neighbours. One gull actually had the bold- 

 ness to alight on the edge of a nest contain- 

 ing three young herons, and seize a piece 

 of fish, with which it flew off. 



When they are old enough to fly for a 

 short distance their mother takes great 

 pains to prevent them from wandering near 

 any place she considers dangerous. 



