270 THE BIRDS OF SUSSEX. 



which was thrown to it. I only kept it a few clays and 

 restored it to the man who caught it, fearing it might 

 maltreat some of my other pets if turned down with them. 

 This Gull has been accused of attacking young lambs or 

 weakly sheep, but of this I have no proof, and I have never 

 heard of its interfering in any way with the vast flocks of sheep 

 on the South Downs. It feeds on the foulest carrion, dead 

 fish, or any wounded bird it can find, often attending the 

 gunners when in search of wildfowl. It may be easily 

 caught in traps baited with a piece of flesh. On the coast 

 it forms a roughly constructed nest, on the upper ledge of a 

 cliff", or in a cavity among the bare stones, composed of 

 coarse herbage and sea-weed, or on the islands of a loeli, or 

 on the open moor. 



GLAUCOUS GULL. 



Larus glaucus. 



A SOMEWHAT rare visitant to our coast, though from time 

 to time a considerable number have been met with. 



1 have a note that, in December 1852, Mr. Dennis had a 

 specimen brought him which had been taken at Seaford, 

 which so severely "bit the man Avho caught it that he refused 

 to touch it again, and Mr. Dennis had to get the bird into a 

 basket ; it was in not quite mature plumage. Another of 

 my notes records that at the beginning of January 1859 an 

 immature specimen was shot oft' Shoreham. This bird was 

 flying very high, in company with two others which appeared 

 to be similar. 



Mr. Knox mentions (O. R. p. 255) an immature bird 

 taken by a boy from the Chain Pier at Brighton, by means 



