204 On the Occurrence of some of the Barer Species of Birds 



food along our river banks. Only last week (September) my boys 

 noticed one of them, in its immature plumag-e, flyins: up and down 

 the river within easy gun-shot of them. The legs of this species 

 are of a blueish-grey tinge^ which may serve to distinguish it from 

 some of the other species of Gull. 



Lams Argentatus. " The Herring Gull." One of the common 

 Gulls of our south coast. You may see them at any time enjoying 

 themselves on the mud flats of Poole Harbour as you pass in the 

 train. They are not unfrequently met with inland. Mr. Baker 

 writes, "They are often found in this neighbourhood," i.e., near 

 Mere, " and I have often noticed them passing overhead, though I 

 do not remember ever meeting with one on our river. They ai'e 

 fine large birds. Their legs are flesh-coloured, at once distinguishing 

 them both from the Common and the Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 



Larus Fuscus. "The Lesser Black-backed Gull." The adult 

 birds of this species are not very often seen at Christchurch, though 

 the young birds are not uncommon. This bird is about the size of 

 the Herring Gull, but can at once be distinguished from it by the 

 darker slate colour of the mantle, and by the yellow colour of the 

 legs. The young birds of this species are, however, very hard to 

 distinguish from those of the Herring Gull. I was asked only the 

 other day to decide upon the species of two young Gulls, which 

 were running about the lawn of a neighbour's house; but I could 

 not decidedly give an opinion without a closer inspection, though 

 there was no doubt that they belonged to one of these two species. 

 The general colouiing of the young of this species may, however, 

 be said generally to be of a darker tint, and less margined with 

 light brown than the other ; but it would puzzle most men to decide 

 at a glance this knotty point. Mr. Cecil Smith found these birds 

 breeding in some numbers on Burhoe, one of the Channel Islands. 

 They are very common farther north. 



Larus Marimis. " The Great Black-backed Gull." This is the 

 finest by far of all our British Gulls, and may occasionally be seen 

 round our south coast ; a few pairs breeding still on Lundy Island, 

 in the Bristol Channel, where they are not allowed to be disturbed. 

 I have noticed these birds round the coast in Bournemouth Bay, 



