AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 233 



204. BROWN-HEADED GULL. 



Larus ridihundus. 



I have adopted the above designation for this 

 well-known bird in preference to the obvious 

 misnomer of "Black-headed," which is generally 

 applied to it, for the sufficient reason that at no 

 period of its existence does it assume any black on 

 or about its head. In our county this Gull is an 

 irregular but tolerably common visitor, a few gene- 

 rally appearing in the valley of the Nen in March, 

 April, and May, whilst in early autumn, especially 

 in times of flood, we are frequently visited by very 

 large flocks of this species in company with other 

 Gulls. With reference to England as apart from 

 Scotland and Ireland, I think that I am justified 

 in saying that the Brown-headed is the most 

 abundant of the family of Gulls, breeding as it does 

 in numerous colonies in several of our English 

 counties, often at a considerable distance from salt- 

 water, and haunting our coasts and estuaries in vast 

 numbers during the months of autumn and winter ; 

 in fact, I consider that the present bird is much 

 more entitled to the title of "Common" than the 

 species to which that epithet is usually applied. 

 Although many of the marshy spots formerly fre- 

 quented by the Brown-headed Gull during the 

 summer have been drained and reclaimed, several 

 colonies still exist under strict protection, of which 

 the best known is perhaps Scoulton Mere, in West 

 Norfolk. As full details relatinoj to this breedinsr- 

 place are given in the 4th edition of Yarrell, and 

 also, from personal experience, by Mr. H. Seebohm 



