76 OCEAN BIRDS. 



as follows : — " Northern and temperate Europe and Iceland (breeding), visiting the 

 Mediterranean in winter, as far as Greece; the Canaries, and probably the Azores." 



The bird is thus described by Yarrell, 'British Birds' (vol. iii. p. 474):— "The adult 

 bird in summer has the bill pale yellow, the inferior angle of the under mandible 

 reddish-orange, the whole bill very large and strong ; the irides straw-yellow, the edges of 

 the eyelids orange ; head and neck pure white ; back, wing-coverts, scapularies, secondaries, 

 and tertials lead-grey, the feathers of the three latter series ending in white ; primaries 

 nearly black, the first and second quill-feathers with a triangular white patch, forming the 

 end of each feather, the second quill-feather having a black spot in the white ; all the 

 others tipped with white, the inner broad webs being lead-grey ; upper tail-coverts and 

 tail-feathers pure white ; chin, throat, breast, belly, and all the under surface of the body and 

 tail pure white ; legs and feet flesh-colour. In winter the crown of the head and the occiput 

 are slightly streaked with ash-grey. The whole length of an adult male is thirty inches, 

 and sometimes rather more ; the wing, from the carpal joint to the end of the longest 

 quill-feather, twenty inches. The female measures twenty-seven inches, and her wings 

 nineteen inches." 



They construct a grassy nest on marsh or rock, and lay three eggs of yellowish-greenish- 

 brown, blotched with slate-grey and dark brown; three inches two lines in length, by two 

 inches and four lines in breadth. This is the only "Black-back" which, when adult, has 

 flesh-coloured legs and feet. 



The southern representative of this bird is the Pacific Gull, Larus pacificus, which is 

 confined to Australia. It has a very deep and powerful bill, of an orange-colour, and yellow 

 legs. In the adult the tail is crossed by a black band. Its flight, too, is superior to our 

 Great Black-back, otherwise they are much alike. We should be pretty certain to meet 

 this species on nearing Australia. 



Herring Gull {Lams argentatus). — Mr. E. T, Booth says that from his own observation the 

 farmer rather than the game-preserver would have a right to complain of the damage caused 

 by this species. He has noticed that when frightened (as, for instance, when fired at) they 

 throw up grain. It does not, however, belie its English name, as it is extremely fond of fish ; 

 and Mr. Yarrell tells us it is called " Pescatore " by the Italian fishermen. I had a tame 

 one for some years that spent most of the summer months on a lake, feeding on the smaller 

 fish, and only coming to the house to be fed in the winter. It pouched all its food, 

 and then used to walk off, looking suspiciously all around, with its neck puffed out nearly 

 the size of its body. This pouching seems common to all the Laridce, also the habit of 



