208 BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 



separate form, it is much to be hoped that he will 

 clear that matter up as far as regards that county 

 and the Scilly Islands. Like the Herring and 

 Lesser Black-backed Gull, the Common Gull goes 

 through several changes of plumage before it arrives 

 at maturity ; like them it begins with the mottled 

 brownish stage, and gradually assumes the blue- 

 grey mantle of maturity ; in the earlier stages the 

 primaries have no white spots at the tips. The 

 legs and bill, which appear to go through more 

 changes than in other Gulls, are in an intermediate 

 state bluish grey (which accounts for Temminck's 

 name mentioned above) before they assume the 

 pale yellow of maturity : although at this time 

 they have the mantle quite as in the adult, there is 

 a material difference in the pattern of the primary 

 quills, and they do not appear to breed till their 

 bills have become quite yellow and their legs a pale 

 greenish yellow. I cannot quite tell at what age 

 the Common Gull begins to breed, for, although I 

 have a pair which have laid regularly for the last 

 two years (they have not, however, hatched any 

 young, which perhaps is the fault of the Herring 

 Gulls, whom I have several times caught sucking 

 their eggs), I do not know what their age was when 

 I first had them as I did the Herring Gulls from 

 Sark and the Lesser Black-backs from Burhou ; 

 I can only say when I first had them they had the 

 bills and legs blue ; in fact they were in the state in 



