186 Strong, Habits of the Herring Gull. [April 



ness to cold by shivering although probably in perfect health. Wild 

 gulls with abundant opportunities for flying apparently keep warm 

 by being active, and I have not seen them showing such distress 

 from cold. 



VIII. Special Activities. 



1. Flight. — The great power in flight and especially the wonder- 

 ful soaring performances of the Herring Gull are almost too well 

 known to be discussed here. The wing strokes are relatively slow 

 and the arc covered by the elbow is not large as is characteristic of 

 birds with long wings. 



I have witnessed on several occasions both on the Atlantic Ocean 

 and on the Great Lakes the peculiar ability of the Herring Gull to 

 follow or accompany a ship in the face of a strong head wind by 

 soaring flight only, as described so well by Brewster.^ 



It is a matter of common observation that gulls indulge in soaring 

 manoeuvres over a beach when a heavy wind is blowing off the water. 

 At such a time they may often be seen soaring sidewise as well as 

 forwards. I have seen Herring Gulls cover more than 200 yards 

 in a single rapid sail sidewise along the beach, always facing the 

 wind and not losing altitude. The Herring Gull is unusually skil- 

 ful among gulls in soaring, and some of its feats are, to my mind, 

 the most difficult to explain of all soaring phenomena. 



The manner in which the feet are carried has been discussed by 

 Anthony.^ When starting flight the feet hang downward, some- 

 times until the bird is a number of yards from the starting place, 

 and they are dropped just before alighting. 



2. Bathing and Drinking. — References have already been made 

 in this paper to the frequency with which Herring Gulls bathe in 

 warm weather. My captive gulls enjoy swimming and bathing 

 in their tank, even in winter, so long as the temperature of the air 

 is not very much below freezing. When swimming the Herring 

 Gull sits high on the water, probably in part because of the large 

 amount of air contained in the dense ventral plumage. Possibly 



I Brewster. W. Notes on the FUght of Gulls. Auk. 1912, Vol. XXIX. No. 1, 

 pp. 85-92. 



» op cit.. p. 132. 



