66o LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, 



predominates. In Ireland few breeding-places are known, but the 

 species is found throughout the year. 



The Lesser Black-backed Gull is numerous during the summer 

 in the Fjeroes, and along the coast of Norway ; but it migrates 

 southward on the approach of winter, as it does from the shores of 

 the Baltic, on which it is found, but is not known to nest. Small 

 colonies exist on some of the Channel Islands and probably along 

 the western sea-board of France ; Col. Irby states that a few pairs 

 remain to breed on the shores of Morocco in April ; and the bird has 

 been traced to the Canaries, Madeira and Senegal. In the Mediter- 

 ranean it occurs chiefly during the colder months, yet is said to 

 nest in Sicily and Sardinia ; while evidence is imperfect as regards 

 the Black Sea,' though eastward, its representative is certainly the 

 Siberian Herring-(iull : birds with mantles of the deepest black 

 and brilliantly yellow feet are, however, resident on the Nile and 

 the Red Sea, and P^min Pasha is said to have recently obtained a 

 specimen on the Albert Nyanza. The southern hemisphere is in- 

 habited by Z. dominicaiius^ intermediate in size between this and 

 the Great Black-backed Gull ; the Californian L. occidentalis is nearer 

 akin to the Herring-Gulls. 



The nest is made of grass, bits of sea-weed, &c., and the eggs, 

 generally laid in the latter half of May, are usually 3 in number ; 

 they are somewhat smaller on average' than those of the Herring- 

 Gull, and exhibit greater variation in their ground-colour : measure- 

 ments about 2 "8 by i'q in. The food consists chiefly of fish and 

 small crabs, the indigestible portions of which are thrown up in large 

 pellets, while Mr. T. E. Buckley has found similar castings composed 

 of the husks of grain ; the bird is, however, omnivorous, and very 

 injurious to the eggs and young of moorland-game and water-fowl. 



The adult in summer is white, except on the mantle, which varies 

 from slate-grey to black ; the three outer primaries are of a dusky- 

 black which becomes paler towards the edges of the inner webs, 

 though there is no grey ' wedge ' ; a sub-apical white mirror exists on 

 the ist and — in mature birds — on the 2nd quill ; the legs and feet are 

 yellow, and the relative shortness of the latter is characteristic. In 

 winter the head and neck are streaked with dusky-brown. Length 

 of a male 23 in., wing 16 in. ; the female is usually smaller. The 

 young bird is very similar to the immature Herring-Gull, but the 

 general tint of the upper parts is darker and the primaries are a 

 nearly uniform black ; the lower part of the tail is crossed by a 

 black band, which gradually breaks up into mottlings and disappears 

 with increasing age ; the legs and feet are at first light brown. 



