GAVI^. ( 266 ) LARIDM. 



THE LITTLE GULL. 



PIGMY GULL, LITTLE MEW. 



Larus minuius. 



Not down the breeze more blithely flew, 

 Skimming the wave, the light sea-mew. 



Scott, Lord of the Isles. 



There are only two instances on record of the occurrence of 

 the Little Gull in Berwickshire, and both of these were at 

 Coldingham Loch. Mr. Hardy, in some notes on this bird, 

 which are given in the History of the Bervnckshire Naturalists' 

 Cluh, says : " Mr. Andrew Wilson writes to me that a 

 specimen of this rare occasional winter visitant was pro- 

 cured at Coldingham during the stormy weather in the end 

 of December 1869, and is now in his collection."^ In the 

 same publication Mr. Andrew Brotherston, bird-stuffer, Kelso, 

 writes : " I saw an immature specimen of this beautiful little 

 Gull on the 16th of August 1877 at Coldingham Loch. 

 All the time I was at the loch — about an hour — it was 

 jElying gracefully about, busy catching insects, frequently 

 lifting them from the surface of the water, and only occa- 

 sionally alighting for a few seconds. In its manner of 

 flight it resembled the Sea Swallow, especially at a distance ; 

 indeed, the first sight I got of it I thought it was one of 

 those birds. But on a nearer approach — and it came very 

 near, not being in the least shy or afraid — the square tail 

 showed the difference at once. The Little Gull in the collec- 



1 Hist. Ber. Nat. Club, voL vi. p. 84. 



