AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 311 



stumps of trees and prepared to wait for my picture. After vvaiting 

 about two hours, down came the Gull and alighted near the camera. 

 Walking up to it she picked off some of the moss and then settled on 

 her nest still holding some of the moss in her bill. I pulled the string 

 and gave about four seconds exposure as it was in the dark part of the 

 wood and being late in the afternoon, the long shadows were stealing 

 through the forest. She did not seem to hear the sound of the shutter 

 and did not move until I commenced to whistle. She then flew up 

 with a scream and soon had all the neighboring Gulls in the air. 



Sometimes after waiting for three and four hours covered with sticks, 

 moss and brush, I have found on developing the plate, a Gull with two 

 bills and four eyes, but this only made me more anxious to succeed. 

 The nest containing two chickens and one egg was taken on a bright 

 day with one second exposure. 



Berxice Crowell. 



The Herring Gull is one of the largest of the family, being about two 

 feet in length and having an expanse of nearly five feet. It is exceed- 

 ed in size by the Black-backed and Glaucous Gulls, the first being much 

 darker on the back and the latter much lighter. They have yellow bills 

 and eyes, flesh-colored feet, a pearly gray mantle, the rest of the plu- 

 mage being white in summer and the head slightly striped with dusky 

 in the winter. Immature specimens are a uniform dark gray with 

 lighter edges to the feathers. They nest on islands from Maine north- 

 wards and winter from Massachusetts southwards. They build on the 

 ground unless disturbed when they take to the trees. They fly with 

 their bill in a line with the body and are frequently seen resting on 

 the water. Their food is wholly animal matter, chiefiy fish. 



EGG OF HERRING GULL, < Natural Size.) 



