178 



plumage is very different from his summer one many- 

 people do not appear to recognise tliat what seems to 

 be two birds is really only one. In summer the head 

 is brown, the back blue-gre3% wings white and black, 

 tail white, bills, legs and feet a brilliant red. In 

 winter the hood is gone or reduced to a dark eye-spot, 

 and the legs and bill are less bright. Then again 

 there is the Common Gull, — somewhat badly named 

 by the way, as all gulls are common somewhere or 

 other. These breed readily in the British Isles, and 

 are often seen far inland picking up worms etc. 

 Their plumage in summer is pure white, except for 

 the wings, which are tipped with black, and the back 

 is blue-grey. The Herring Gull, — another gull which 

 also breeds readily in the Gardens, is easily recognised 

 by the yellow and red bill. Other gulls to be seen are 

 the Indian Brown - headed Gull, the Yellow- legged 

 Herring Gull, Scoresby's Gull, and Hemprich's Gull, 

 to the latter of which a reference has already been 

 made on page 103. 



In this aviary there is a Gannet, some Kgyptian 

 Kites which nested in the trees, when they were very 

 fierce, necessitating two keepers always going in at a 

 time, one to keep off the birds, while the other was 

 cleaning the aviary out and feeding the other birds. 

 On one or two occasions a keeper was attacked. 

 Other birds to be seen here are Night Herons, of 

 which there are several species, (one, the Nyciicorax 

 gf'iseiis demanding special notice as it not unfrequently 

 visits England, and would undoubtedly breed if left 

 undisturbed), the Common Heron, and the Great 

 American Heron. With them are also two species of 

 Choughs, the larger one with red legs, feet, and bill 



