NOTES. 89 



as if disgorged from the crop, or found ground up in the 

 excreta. No other shells were seen, which is interesting in 

 view of the fact that the species is said to be very destructive 

 to cockles, which it is said to obtain by treading the sand 

 until they come to the surface. In view of this statement 

 I searched diligently for such shells, without any success 

 whatsoever. 



The fish remains were not too numerous, although a fair 

 number of eels' skeletons were in evidence, and some of small 

 flounders, and also the remains of three small sea-trout of 

 about a pound to two j^ounds in weight. Garbage picked off 

 the shore was found in the form of a few dead rats, kittens, 

 Guillemots, etc., and upon our first visit we were very much 

 struck by the number of heads of domestic poultry, as many 

 as seven being found together on one small feeding " table," 

 and the birds must have discovered some place where a large 

 number of poultry had been killed for the market. We saw 

 also the remains of a few young rabbits, and although such 

 miscellaneous articles as tallow-candles do not seem to be 

 despised as an article of food, these Gulls do not seem to prey 

 upon the toads and vipers which appear to flourish among 

 them. It is interesting to note that a brood of Pheasants 

 was found almost in the midst of the colony, and that the keeper 

 rears Pheasants on its borders without any trouble from the 

 Gulls, although I know for a fact that they can be very destruc- 

 tive to young Pheasants when other food is scarce. Some 

 heaps of very large dead earthworms were also found. There are 

 recognised feeding "tables" throughout the colony, where 

 the grass and heather are trodden flat, and to which paths 

 lead from all directions through the thick heather and under- 

 growth. On our first visit to the colony, on June 24th, the 

 young were in all stages of development, a few being already 

 on the wing and a few eggs yet unhatched ; but on July 8th, 

 when I visited them again, all the eggs had hatched and all 

 the young seen were fully feathered, with the exception of 

 three or four, whose heads were still in the do\\-n although 

 the birds were almost full gro\Mi. The mortality among the 

 young is very small, only four young ones and one adult being 

 found dead, the latter being found on the occasion of my 

 last visit. 



We only managed to ring one hundred and five of the young, 

 because our first visit was unfortunately made on a pouring 

 wet day, when many of the young looked more dead than 

 alive, and were not marked for that reason. 



H. W. Robinson, 



