96 MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



plunges are, however, disappointing, ending in soaring and a gentle descent to 

 the surface of the water. 



While sitting on the water, which they ride lightly and with elevated sterns 

 like ancient Spanish caravals, they occasionally may be seen dipping like River 

 Ducks for food. They occasionally devote themselves to bathing, shaking the 

 water through their great wing feathers and splashing it about vigorously. I 

 have seen them while riding the water on a rocky shore, occasionally fly up into 

 the air a few feet to get an impetus, and then plunge into the water so that only 

 the tips of the wings and tail were visible, coming up with molluscs and rock- 

 weed in their bills. One with a choice morsel is frequently chased and made to 

 drop it, and the pursuer at once picks it up. Their cousins, the Great Black- 

 backed Gulls, are also frequently the aggressors. 



On the sandflats and beaches they gather a large amount of food, molluscs 

 of all sorts, crustaceans, echinoderms, and especially dead fish. They may often 

 be seen flying nearly straight up or in circles, with a clam or a crab, which they 

 drop from a height onto the hard sand, follow closely the descent, and alight 

 to regale themselves on the exposed contents. If they fail to break the 

 shell the first time, they try again. This habit, which is also a common one with 

 Crows, explains the fact that molluscs' shells, crabs, and sea urchins are scattered 

 so universally along our coast, sometimes half a mile from the sea. I have found 

 skates' eggs still wet with salt water, dropped among the dunes many rods from 

 the sea. 



In winter while sitting on ice cakes they pick up the flotsam, and occa- 

 sionally a living fish from the surrounding water. When the harbors are frozen 

 over, all the cracks in the ice are searched by the Gulls, who associate freely 

 with the Crows in that pursuit. Another interesting association often to be 

 seen at Ipswich is with a herd of harbor seals sunning themselves on the bar. 

 Among these the Gulls walk peacefully. 



The Gulls eject the harder particles of their food, and balls of crabs' claws 

 and fish bones entirely cleaned of flesh are scattered about their resting places 

 on the beach. These balls are sometimes two inches in diameter ; they are 

 loosely compacted and soon fall to pieces. They often contain bits of feathers 

 or down which the birds must have plucked from their own breasts. 



Herring Gulls are at times very noisy, their wild cries going out over the 

 waters. At other times they are silent. When resting, they appear to be 

 scolding or talking together, for with a glass their bills are seen to open and 

 shut in an animated way. I discovered at their breeding places in Maine, 

 where the birds can be observed near at hand, that this opening and shutting of 

 their bills meant a constant scolding or chattering. At times their cries resem- 

 ble the rattling of heavy blocks ; at times they emit a hissing whistle. 



