GULLS AND TERNS. 23 
most familiar birds of the coast, especially in the 
more northerly portions of the British Islands. It 
is a more trustful species than its larger ally, admits 
man to approach it with less show of fear or 
wariness, and may often be seen on the meadows 
and ploughed fields near the sea, seeking for 
its food as familiarly as a Rook or a Daw. 
Singularly enough, the east and south coasts of 
England are not resorted to by this Gull for 
breeding purposes. It is not known to breed south 
of the coast of Northumberland, or east of that of 
Devonshire; and this is all the more remarkable, 
seeing that one of its most important colonies in 
our area is situated upon the Farne Islands. It 
breeds locally from Cornwall to the Solway, but 
further northwards becomes more generally dis- 
persed, right up to the Orkneys and the Shetlands. 
In Ireland, again, this Gull is a very local breeder, 
and is only known to nest in one or two localities. 
During the non-breeding season it wanders far 
from home, and may then be met with on and 
off most of the British coasts: young and immature 
birds do not resort much to the nesting colonies, 
but roam widely at all seasons. It is a very 
remarkable fact that adult Gulls of this species are 
so rarely seen near Heligoland, as the species 
breeds commonly on the Baltic and Scandinavian 
coasts, and yet its average appearance at the island 
is about once in ten years! The Heligolandish 
name for this Gull is very appropriate, signifying 
