428 DuTCHER AND Baily, Habits of the Herring Gull. \ol\, 



screaming birds increased until there was a very babel of sounds 

 and a whirling mass of birds in the air, trying in graceful evolu- 

 tions. As the observer advanced further into the colony, those 

 first disturbed gradually settled down and resumed their wonted 

 occupations of nesting or watching. If a pause was made to 

 examine or photograph a nest, and the observer bent low and 

 remained still, nearly all of the excited gulls immediately dropped 

 to the ground and resumed nesting or watching, and the colony 

 became as quiet as when there was no intruder in it, excepting, of 

 course, the very few birds that belonged to the immediate neighbor- 

 hood of the nest under examination. The light-keepers insist 

 that the gulls know all the regular residents of the island, some 

 ten in number, and do not exhibit as much fear or excitement 

 when they visit the colonies as when strangers do. They also 

 believe that the gulls soon become used to persons ; in other 

 words, learn to recognize them, and consequently cease to fear 

 them. They certainly exhibit a very pleasing confidence in the 

 residents of the island, for nine nests were found in the light- 

 house reservation not many yards from the dwellings of the keep- 

 ers. The remarkable tameness of the gulls on Duck Island and 

 No-Man's-Land was one of the most pleasing features of the visits 

 to these colonies, and it can be accounted for only by attributing 

 it to the protection given to the gulls on these islands : they cer- 

 tainly recognize the fact that they are not molested, and exhibit a 

 charming confidence in man. 



The breeding of these gulls in colonies shows the social side of 

 their nature, which is very strongly marked. Their nests are 

 placed very close together, in some instances, and quarreling 

 among the setting birds seems to be unknown. 



The gulls all have their favorite perching places near the nests, 

 and if some other gull happens to alight upon it there is usually a 

 slight skirmish, but the intruder has no chance to maintain his 

 position. The perch is always upon such a small limb or point of 

 a dead stump that the slightest push or even a strong gust of 

 wind wall cause a loss of balance, and a short flight has to be 

 taken before the position can be resumed. When the usurper 

 occupies such a perching place, the rightful owner has only to fly 

 behind him and give a push with his breast and the perch is 



