A.22 DuTCHER AND Baily, Habits of the Herring Gull. \^ ^J.'^ 



5 o'clock, we found the second chick, it having come out during 

 the niglit. The first chick, however, was strong enough on our 

 approach to run from the nest and hide under a nearby stump 

 (Plate XXII ) . The oldest bird was placed in the nest again and 

 the two photographed with the third &^^, which was now so 

 opened that the bill of the chick showed. When the young chicks 

 are hatched the egg shell divides very evenly at the point where 

 the bill of the young appears. The discarded shells are never 

 found in the nest but are carried by the old birds some feet away. 

 About the middle of the afternoon on Friday the third chick was 

 hatched, thus making an interval of about twelve hours between 

 the hatching of each ^gg. When the third ^gg had hatched the 

 other two young birds were found hiding under nearby stumps, 

 not to get out of the sun or cold, for it was a warm cloudy day. 

 The instinct to hide seems to be developed within an hour or two 

 after hatching, or so soon as the young bird is strong enough to 

 walk. The young in tree nests also seem to have sense enough 

 not to walk off the edge of the nest, for in 1902 Mr. Baily found 

 young at least ten days old in a tree nest. The young when very 

 small have a weak, peeping note that cannot be heard at any 

 great distance ; this seems, however, more a petulant cry for food 

 than of fear or anger, for it is not uttered when the young chicks 

 are handled, nor do they make any outcry then, even up to the 

 time that they are large enough to fly a few feet ; however, the 

 young birds can protect themselves by giving very sharp bites 

 with their bills : this seems to be their only method of defence 

 prior to flight, except running and hiding. 



The downy plumage of the young when three days old is as 

 follows : 



Under parts diiskj white, running into graj' on flanks and abdomen. 

 A distinct triangle of light cream while on the centre of belly between 

 breast and abdomen. Breast gray, throat and head cream gray with dis- 

 tinct tinges of buff. Back mottled light gray and dusky, getting more 

 buff on head. Wings : scapular space huffy, primary space gray. The 

 gray is also darker on tertial space on wings. On back the down is dark 

 at the base, and grows lighter near the ends. The whole upper part of 

 the bird is covered with dull black spots, irregular in shape. Bill horn 

 black with pink tip, three-sixteenths of an inch long. Feet dusky pink, 

 darker on edges and under portion. 



