Lord Lilford's Cruise in the Mediterranean. 31 



the boats, watching for shots at the Falcons, I suddenly 

 heard behind me the cry of a Gull quite new to me, turned 

 sharp round at the sound ; the bird was rather high up, but 

 I knocked him down; he fell on the rocks close to us, but I 

 could not see him as he lay. One of the men jumped out and 

 picked him up ; and judge of my joy, ye Ibises, when I found 

 that he was a beautiful adult Larus audouini (male), in full 

 breeding-plumage ! 



We had noticed that a small colony of Gulls seemed to have 

 established itself upon the slope of the rock on the eastern 

 side, apart from the main establishment about the summit 

 and western portion ; but as their general appearance was 

 very like that of the Herring-Gull (at a distance), I had not 

 paid any particular attention to them. Now, however, when 

 they took wing at my shot, I noticed that their wings seemed 

 much longer, and now and then the brilliant red bills and 

 dark-coloured legs were conspicuous. I landed one of my 

 men, with particular instructions to search the spot where we 

 had seen these Gulls ; and he very soon came down to the 

 boat with six eggs, varying a good deal in markings, and like 

 those of Larus leucophaeus, but just the size I wished. I had 

 particularly told the finder to bring any of the Herring- 

 Gull's eggs ; but he assured me that he found none, though 

 he searched for a considerable time. 



The six eggs above mentioned were in five nests, one of 

 which contained two and the others one respectively. There 

 were several empty nests, but no young birds visible. 



In the meantime the parent birds had gone right off to sea 

 in a body of perhaps twenty or thirty, and were coming back 

 to see what we were about, but so cautiously and at such a 

 height that though I fired several shots I could not manage 

 to bring down another specimen. The rest of the men, who 

 had landed and clambered up to the top, reported great num- 

 bers of nests, eggs, and young of Herring- Gull ; but I had 

 told them not to rob them, as we had such a series from Vacca. 

 It was very evident, and a curious fact, that the Audouin^s 

 Gulls had their establishment entirely apart from their con- 

 geners ; and certainly they are naturally much more wary. 



