LARIDM— GULLS. 267 



another ; so that there are always a few pairs breeding in the old localities. I 

 certainly think they increased in numbers this year, but the Carrion ; Crows take 

 heavy toll from the outlying nests. I saw a Gull lying dead beside its nest 

 with a severe wound in its head, caused, no doubt, by a blow from the beak 

 of a Crow, who had sucked the eggs of the unfortunate bird. In 1889, a large 

 number of their eggs were taken and sold as ' Plover's ' eggs." 



I have seldom or never spent a 'pleasanter day than June 12th, 188S, when 

 Mr. E. A. Fitch and myself visited the breeding-haunts of this bird, on the Old 

 Hall Marshes, Tollesbury. The first colony we reached was a small one on a 

 large marshy pool, with reed}' banks, known as Joyce's Head Fleet. Upon this 

 we embarked in a boat with the keepers. At one end of the pool, was a large 

 assembly of Coots, numbering considerably over loo, and among the reeds we 

 saw several of their nests containing eggs. As we advanced we approached one 

 of the smaller nesting-colonies of the Black-headed Gulls, which was upon a 

 small, boggy island, some five or six yards across, and thickly overgrown with 

 rank nightshade. Here were about a dozen Gull's nests — substantial structures, 

 built of reed-stems outside, and lined with small tufts of grass. None were 

 placed actually upon the ground, but all were resting on the nightshade and 

 reeds. Several of the nests were empty, but others contained one e.gg each, and 

 one held two. They were only slightly incubated. While we were at them, the 

 old birds — locally known as "Cobs" — were very noisy overhead. Proceeding 

 further on to the marsh we visited a second and larger colony of Gulls which 

 were nesting in some reed-clumps about ten yards from the edge of another 

 pool known as Pennyhole Bottom. Here were about twenty-five nests, most of 

 them containing either one or two eggs, though several held none, and one three. 

 We reached them by wading, the water not being over eighteen inches deep. 

 They did not differ in any essential respect from those already described, and the 

 old birds, as before, were very noisy overhead while we remained at their nests. 

 The eggs are decidedly variable, the ground-colour ranging from greenish-olive 

 to dark russet-brown. We brought away several of the more curiously marked 

 as specimens. Close at hand was another large pool known as Pennyhole Fleet, 

 among the reeds on the edge of which, the keepers told us, about sixty pairs of 

 Gulls had built their nests earlier in the year, but had suddenly and unaccount- 

 ably deserted them before laying any eggs (50. iii. 188). 



There can be no doubt that there were once many more nesting colonies of 

 the Black-headed Gull on the Essex coast than there are now. The names 

 Great Cob Island and Little Cob Island in Tollesbury Fleet, and Cob Marsh 

 Island at the entrance to Mersea Quarters, are evidences of the ancient tenure of 

 the Gulls in this localit3^ There is also a Cobb's Farm on the Goldhanger coast. 

 In addition to the Peewit Island in Handford Water, there is another island of 

 the same name between Mersea Creek and Parrock, and a third near Bradwell 

 Waterside on the Blackwater, from which baskets-full of Gull's eggs used to 

 be obtained within the memory of persons now living. 



Yarrell says (25. iii. 551) : "'These birds are abundant at the mouth of the 

 Thames, both in Kent and Essex, but the most so in the latter county, breeding 

 by hundreds on some of the low, flat islands on the coast, and in the marshes of 

 the interior." Morris repeats the same statement, almost word for word (27a. 

 vii. 153). More, in 1865, stated that (33. 454) there were then breeding-stations 

 in Essex, but Mr. Howard Saunders, in the last edition of Yarrell's Birds, says 

 (37. iii. 595) he knew of no breeding place ^m Essex, and in 1884 Mr. Harting 

 wrote (29. Feb. 16) that he knew of none south of the Stour. Probably it still 

 breeds in limited numbers on various other parts of the Essex coast. 



