A First Glance at the Birds, 



the ferries, that they merit special con- 

 sideration. Notice the poise of head, 

 the grace of form, the flawless contour 

 of one as it sails close beside the boat, 

 without a motion of its wings, the head 

 turning now and then and the sharp 

 eyes ever watchful for food. I find 

 that many people imagine there are but 

 two species frequenting the bay — one a 

 dark-brownish variety, and the other, 

 white beneath and bluish gray above. In 

 reality there are eight or nine species 

 commonly found about the bay, the 

 young or immature of which are all dark 

 in color, and the adults of all but one 

 largely white and bluish gray. 



In attempting to distinguish the var- 

 ious species of gulls the novice must 

 constantly bear in mind the fact that the 

 difference between the immature and 

 adult plumage is greater in many cases 

 than the marks which distinguish dif- 

 ferent species. There is one species, 

 however, so entirely distinct from the 

 others that it can be known at a glance 



IS 



