BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 'lOo 



on the scanty herbage ; on the roof of this cottage 

 several of the Lesser Black-backs perched them- 

 selves in a row whilst I was looking about at the 

 eggs, and kept up a most dismal screaming at the 

 top of their voices. The eggs, as is generally the 

 case with gulls, varied considerably both in ground 

 colour and marking ; some were freckled all over 

 w^ith small spots — dark brown, purple, or black ; 

 others had larger markings, principally collected at 

 the larger end ; the ground colour was generally 

 blue, green, or dull olive-green. None of the Gulls 

 had hatched when I was there on the 14th of June, 

 though some of the eggs were very hard set ; and 

 on the 29th of July I received two young bu'ds 

 which had been taken on Burhou ; these still had 

 down on them when I got them, and w^ere then 

 difficult to tell from young Herring Gulls. The 

 distinctions I have mentioned in my note of that 

 bird were, however, apparent, and the slight differ- 

 ence in the colour of the legs is perhaps more easily 

 seen in the live birds than in skins which have 

 been kept and faded into " Museum colour." It is 

 some time, however, before either bird assumes the 

 proper colour, either of the legs or bill, the change 

 being very gradual. After the autumnal moult of 

 1878, however, the dark feathers of the mantle 

 almost entirely took the place of the brownish 

 feathers of the yomig birds ; the quills, however, 

 have still (February, 1879) no white tips, and the 



