ICELAND GULL 443 
In the first issue of the ‘Irish Naturalist,’ viz., 1892, 
Mr. Warren details an interesting account of a visitation of 
Iceland and Glaucous Gulls to the Irish coast, in January 
and February, 1892. They were observed chiefly on the 
north-west coast, extending their range to the southern 
counties.!. Prior to this time the Iceland Gull was looked 
upon as a very rare Irish bird, but owing to the investi- 
gations of Mr. Warren, who became acquainted with it 
in 1849 in Cork Harbour, and has furnished us with a long 
list of occurrences’ chiefly from the west,’ but also from 
the southern coasts, it is now known beyond doubt that 
as far as Ireland is concerned, the Iceland Gull occurs as 
frequently as the Glaucous Gull, if not in larger numbers. 
This, Mr. Warren says, may be accounted for by the fact 
that the chief breeding-haunts are in Arctic America, and 
so the Atlantic- facing shores of Ireland are more in the 
line of the southern. migration than those further east ; 
the Glaucous Gull, on the other hand, breeding further 
eastward, is the more numerous species along English and 
Scottish shores. 
Iceland Gulls have been observed and shot from time 
to time on the Dublin coast. On March 4th, 1900, a fine 
specimen, which had almost assumed the mature plumage, 
was obtained in Kingstown Harbour.‘ The late Mr. E. 
Williams, to whom the bird was sent for preservation, wrote 
me, ‘‘I interviewed Mr. Higginbotham, who shot the Ice- 
land Gull, and he states that in Kingstown Harbour it was 
fiercely mobbed by Herring-Gulls and others. Could they 
have mistaken it for an Albino of their own species, for 
there was another Iceland Gull in the same place, much 
more straw-coloured and mottled, I suppose younger, and 
this was unmolested? The pale flight-feathers were very 
pretty and beautifully contrasted with those of our own 
Gulls, which looked blacker than ever.” 
' There were five Glaucous Gulls recorded from Rathlin, Donegal, 
Mayo, and Galway, and eleven Iceland Gulls from Donegal, Mayo, and 
Kerry. In May, 1892, an Iceland Gull was obtained in C ork (U ssher). 
* See also Ussher, ‘ Birds of Ireland,’ p. 344. 
* To which may be added a capture from Galway, on February 
23rd of the present year. This specimen, afemale in immature plumage, 
was generously presented to me by Mr. W. Milne, who shot it. (Plate 
XLVI., figs. 1 and 2.) 
* Through the kindness of the late Mr. E. Williams, I was enabled to 
examine this bird in the flesh, freshly killed, from which I made 
measurements. 
