698 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
coast from Cape Town to East London, and he also occasionally saw 
it at Natal Point. 
Mr. Andersson gives the following account:—“ This is a very 
common Gull all along the south-west coast of Africa, from Walwich 
Bay to Table Bay. It is a most voracious feeder, preying on the 
carcasses of dead whales and seals, and also devouring freely dead 
rats, birds, or fish, as well as worms, insects, and shell-fish; besides 
which it is very destructive to the eggs of other sea-fowl. I have 
been assured on excellent authority that it carries off whole, and 
with perfect facility, the eggs of Penguins and Gannets to some 
distant rock, where it devours them at leisure. It is also said that 
this Gull has the singular habit of destroying its own eggs if it finds 
that its nest is in danger of being robbed of them by any person 
who is seeking to gather them. The breeding-places of these species 
are the rocky islets off the south-west coast, to which it resorts for 
the purpose of incubation about the month of December. Its eggs 
vary much in colour, being of various shades of green, drab, or 
brown, profusely blotched and spotted with dark brown, especially 
at the larger end.” 
Back, sooty-black ; quill-feathers jet black, tipped with white ; 
near the end of the outermost a white spot; ends of the smaller 
wing-feathers also white; rest of the plumage pure white; bill 
yellow, with knob near the tip of the lower mandible scarlet. 
Length, 24"; wing, 17’; tail, 7}’. Young: throughout mottled 
brown and white; bill almost black; irides rich warm brown; legs 
livid flesh-colour. 
673. Larus HarrLausi Bruch. Hartlaub’s Gull. 
Larus poiocephalus (part.), Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 368. 
This species closely resembles the next in colour and size, but 
never appears to possess the gray hood, characteristic of the true 
L. pheeocephalus. It is extremely common in Table Bay all the 
year round, and extends up the west coast. It breeds in thousands 
on the islands in St. Helena Bay and Saldana Bay. The eggs are 
light green spotted with dark brown and purple, but they vary in 
both ground and colour of markings. Axis 1” 1’, diam. 1” 6’. 
674. Larus pH@ocerHaLus, Swains. African Grey-headed Gull. 
Larus poiocephalus, Layard, B. 8. Afr. pl. 368. 
This bird never to our knowledge appears in Table Bay, where it 
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