LARIDM, 77 



throwing it up when frightened. This is known by the Skua Gull, and taken advantage 

 of whenever an opportunity occurs. A raven, after pouching an enormous amount of food, 

 hides it away in various holes; but I never saw a Gull do this. 



The Herring Gull is thus described by Yarrell (' British Birds,' vol. iii. p. 470) : — " The 

 adult bird in summer has the bill yellow, the angle of the under mandible red; edges of 

 the eyelids orange, the irides straw-yellow ; head and neck all round pure white ; the back, 

 and all the wing-coverts uniform delicate French grey ; tertials tipped with white ; primaries 

 mostly black, but grey on the basal portion of the inner web; the first primary with a 

 triangular patch of white at the end, the second and third with smaller portions of white ; 

 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. The whole 

 length from twenty-two inches to twenty-four and a half, depending upon age and sex ; 

 the wing from sixteen inches and a half to seventeen and a quarter. In winter the adult 

 birds have the head streaked with dusky-grey. Young birds resemble the young of the 

 Lesser Black-backed GuU, but the legs and feet are more livid in colour." 



Mr. H. Saunders gives its range as follows : — " The North-west of Europe from the 

 Varanger Fiord, the Baltic, the western coasts down to Nortla Africa, the Azores (where 

 it breeds), Madeira, and the Canaries." He also says: — "There can be no doubt that 

 examples from northern latitudes have a somewhat lighter mantle than those from more 

 temperate regions, although the transition is very gradual." 



Mr. Yarrell says: — "These Gulls make a nest of grass on the ledges and other flat 

 portions of the cliff near the top, where they lay three eggs, which closely resemble those 

 of the Lesser Black-backed Gull. They are of a light olive-brown, spotted with two shades 

 of dark brown, and measure two inches and a half in length, by one inch and three-quarters 

 in breadth." 



Glaucous Gull {Lams glaucus). — This is really a Gull of the Arctic regions, but goes 

 southwards in the winter, and visits the British Isles. Still it is not likely we shall fall in with 

 it on an Australian voyage, so I will merely say it is a Great Black-backed Gull in size and 

 shape, only all white. Yarrell calls it the Large White-winged Gull. 



The Iceland Gull {Larus leucoptenis) is still more arctic, and is, like the Lesser Black- 

 backed Gull, only white. Yarrell calls it the Lesser White-winged Gull. It has been taken 

 in this country. 



