Vol. XX 



iqo3 



J DuTCHER AND Baily, Habits of the Herring Gull. 42 1 



It is remarkable how quickly the eye can detect any variation 

 ill the size of an &gg, as by it the shape is entirely changed. 

 The abnormal &gg in set No. 12 was infertile. Capt. Stanley, 

 head keeper of the lighthouse, was requested to watch the nest, and 

 he reported later that the two eggs completed the set, and that 

 the small egg did not hatch, but the other one did, bringing forth 

 a healthy chick. Only three runt eggs were found among the 3500 

 or 3600 eggs in the two colonies. 



The color of the eggs varied in a remarkable degree. The 

 ground colors were light sky blue, dead blue, light blue-gray, 

 light gray-blue, dark lilac gray, light gray, light pea-green, green 

 drab, warm drab, ochre drab, pink drab, light brown, and 

 cinnamon. 



The colors of the markings were chocolate, brown, rich brown, 

 light brown, snuff brown, asphalt, black, lilac, mauve. The 

 shapes of markings were almost infinite, — large and small spots, 

 indistinct specks, blotches, lines and irregular streaks, somewhat 

 like the markings on the eggs of blackbirds. One egg was found 

 with a light sky blue ground color with tiny indistinct specks of 

 lilac and light brown. Some of the markings were so confluent 

 that they resulted in a distinct ring around the egg. 



Among the many hundred sets of eggs seen the usual number 

 was three, rarely two, and more infrequently one. Only one set 

 of four was found, which was on Heron Island, in Penobscot Bay ; 

 in other respects the set was normal. 



Regarding incubation, Capt. Stanley pointed out the nest in which 

 the first eggs were laid in the season of 1901, which were as yet 

 unhatched ; they were subsequently watched very closely, being 

 visited a number of times daily. On Tuesday, June 18, in the after- 

 noon, one of the eggs commenced to show signs of hatching ; the 

 shell was cracking about one inch from the large end. On Wed- 

 nesday afternoon the cracked portion had broken open so that a 

 part of the bill of the chick could be seen. The other two eggs 

 had also become pipped or cracked. About 3 p.m. on Thursday 

 the first bird was out of the shell and was not yet dry. It was a 

 very weak and helpless object, so much so that it could not stand 

 for more than a moment, when it would lie down, and even its 

 head would be flat in the nest. On Friday morning, a little after 



