In the Neighbourhood of Salisbury. 203 



my shoulder, so that you had to keep the gun on the bird long after 

 you had pulled the trigger, in the hope that after a given time you 

 would be rewarded by a kind of spontaneous explosion on the gun's 

 part. Time after time I had my sight on " Minuta," but there was 

 a charm about the bird, and I could not secure it. I only returned 

 with two of the common species for my trouble, and which are now 

 in ray collection. 



Larus M'muttis. " The Little Gull." This bird is by no means 

 common; but the Rev. A. C. Smith mentions two instances of its 

 occurring in the county, the one at Rodbourne and the other at 

 Upton Seudamore; while Hart has three or four notes of its occur- 

 rence alt Christchurch — one was brought in in January, 1876, and 

 another was caught alive by Hart himself, in immature plumage, 

 on December, 4th, 18SI, and he has known three or four other 

 instances of their occurrence. I once watched one of these birds 

 o6P Bournemouth Pier for somj time, when it was fishing in company 

 with some Kittiwakes and Red-legs. I watched it quite half-an- 

 hour, flying round and round the pier head, it being so clearly 

 marked by its size that the eye at once detected it amid the others. 



Larus Ridibutidas. " The Black-headed Gull," or Red-leg, as it 

 is called in its winter plumage. This bird is one of our commonest 

 Sea Gulls, and may be noticed in numbers off the Bournemouth 

 Pier at any time, searching, in company with the Kittiwake, for 

 any debris that may fall from boat or steamer. I have one which 

 was shot in our water-meadows, where they frequently show them- 

 selves; and one day I surpised as many as a score of them, which 

 were feeding at the bottom of one of our hatch holes. They assume 

 the black heads of their summer plumage very quickly, a few daj^s 

 being quite sufficient for them to don their summer dress. It is a 

 graceful bird, and can always be distinguished from others, when 

 flying, by the white margin of the feathering that runs down from 

 the shoulder along the outer edge of the wing. 



Lanes Canus. " The Common Gull." This bird, as its title 

 signifies, is common round our south coast, but not so common as 

 either the last-named species or the Kittiwake. It often wanders 

 inland, and may be not unfrequently seen in the winter, seeking its 



