86 J. E. LITTLEBOY NOTES ON BIRDS 



almost all our coasts and may generally be observed wherever a wide 

 stretch of beach is to be found. It remains with us throughout 

 the year, " but is nevertheless migratory in spring and autumn." * 



8. The Black-headed Gtjll {Chro'icocephalus ridibundus). — A 

 black-headed gull was shot at Bennett's End, near Hemel Hemp- 

 stead, about the middle of December. It is common on our English 

 coasts, and is said to breed in Norfolk. In Scotland it is very 

 abundant, and may be seen in large numbers on Loch Lomond and 

 other lakes. 



9. The Common Gull {Lams canus). — A common gull was shot 

 near Hemel Hempstead about the close of the year. It has been 

 reported on former occasions, but I have omitted to register it. 



10. Richardson's Skita [Stircorarms crepidatus). — We are in- 

 debted to Mr. W. Hill, jun., of Hitchin, for the mention of a gull 

 not previoutly recorded on our register. A specimen of Kichard- 

 son's Skua, or, as it is sometimes styled, " The Arctic Gull," was 

 shot near Stevenage on the 5th of November. "It is a circum- 

 polar bird breeding upon most of the islands of the Arctic Ocean." f 

 It is also said to breed in the Hebrides and Orkneys, and is met 

 with occasionally in England during the winter months, but is by 

 110 means common. Like most of the gulls, it changes the colour 

 of its plumage as it advances in age. 



11. The Stormy Petrel {Procdlaria pelagicd). — A male and 

 female petrel were picked up dead on the morning of the 15th of 

 December in a field near East Lodge, Hemel Hempstead. The 

 stormy petrel, better known among sailors as " Mother Carey's 

 chickens," is the smallest of our web-footed birds. Popular 

 superstition points to this bird as one of evil omen, but too fre- 

 quently the precursor of wild and stormy weather. The fact 

 appears to be that it prefers the twilight and the night, and, unless 

 disturbed by tempest, remains, for the most part, secluded and 

 hidden during the day. Its exceptional appearance is the result, 

 in all probability, of existing, rather than impending, storm. The 

 name "Petrel" is said to be derived from that of the Apostle 

 Peter, and to be suggested by the bird's habit of lightly skimming 

 or walking over the surface of the waves. I find that numerous 

 instances are recorded of dead petrels having been picked up in the 

 midland counties ; the impossibility of obtaining suitable food 

 satisfactorily accounts for their being taken in this condition. It 

 seems certain that the two birds in question were unwilling visitors 

 to Hertfordshire, and that they were blown across-land by the 

 extreme violence of the December gales. It has been said of the 

 petrel that she finds a home upon the waves — 



" A home, if such a place may be. 

 For her who lives ou the wild, wild sea." 



12. The Bean-Goose {Anser Segetum). — A bean-goose was shot 

 near Royston about the end of January. It is a winter visitant to 



* Harting, ' Hand-book of British Birds,' p. 4-1. | ' Siberia,' p. 188. 



