VOL. viL] A STUDENT OF GULLS. 307 



and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, is of very considerable 

 value. Unfortunately the notes are incomplete, and, 

 although most carefully arranged by his friend Mr. H. 

 Colam, were never intended for publication in their 

 present form, and are often difficult to understand. 

 Nevertheless the}^ contain much interesting information, 

 and are illustrated with numerous photographs of the 

 birds in various stages, and with the most beautiful 

 coloured drawings, by Mr. Edwin Alexander, of bills 

 and eyes that we have ever seen. By the kindness of 

 Mrs. Macdonald, we are permitted to reproduce here 

 two of these exquisite drawings, showing the changes 

 in the colour of the bills and eyes of the Lesser and 

 Great Black-backed Gulls at various ages (see Plates 

 18 and 19). We are also permitted to reproduce a 

 small series of photographs illustrating part of the 

 sequence of plumages of the Lesser Black-backed Gull. 



These drawings and photographs were taken from 

 specimens which Kennedy kept in captivity, and most 

 of his notes are based on these captive birds ; but they 

 are controlled to some extent by observations on wild 

 birds, and no doubt, had the author lived to complete 

 his task, he would have checked each stage by the 

 examination of wild specimens. 



From these notes and photographs it would appear 

 that these Gulls only partially moult their body -plumage 

 in the first autumn, often retaining much of the juvenile- 

 plumage until the spring, and this seems to be confirmed 

 by our own observations of wild birds. The first spring- 

 moult, beginning often in January, is fairly complete 

 so far as the body -plumage is concerned. In May, 

 when the bird is nearly one year old, the first complete 

 autumn-moult commences by the gradual shedding of 

 the primaries in pairs (from the inner to the outer) ; 

 subsequently the body -plumage is involved, and the 

 moult is not complete until September or October. 

 The moults in subsequent years appear to follow the 

 above as to time and extent. It is curious that Gulls 



