164 BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR EGGS AND NESTS. 
or low flat islands, such as are not rare in some of our southern 
estuaries, while in other districts it breeds on high rocks. In 
either case, the nest is a structure of considerable size, formed-of 
~ sea-weed and grass, and the female deposits two or three eggs in 
it, which are a good deal varied in appearance: ‘‘Some,” says 
Mr. Hewitson, with a ground-colour of light blue, or straw- 
colour, others green or brown; some a good deal like eges of the 
Oyster-catcher, others covered all over with minute spots.” Some, 
moreover, are sufficiently well blotched and spotted with ash- 
colour and dark-brown; others well streaked with the brown, 
but with only a few spots of the grey colour—%7. 2, plate XII. 
308. ICELAND GULL—(Larus Jslandicus). 
Lesser White-winged Gull—aA bird which has been obtained 
in this country from time to time, but in cases of no great 
frequency. 
309. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL—(Larus fuscus). 
Yeilow-legged Gull.—This Gull is seen in sufficient numbers, 
and all the year round, on many parts of the British coasts, and 
in the south as well as the north. It almost exclusively prefers 
localities to breed in which are characterised by the presence of 
rocky cliffs, but yet makes a nest of some considerable thickness 
—even when placed on the grassy summit of some rocky island— 
“ of grass loosely bundled together in large pieces, and placed in 
some slight depression or hollow of the rock.” Its nests are 
intermingled, in several places, with those of the Herring Gull; in 
many places greatly exceeding those of the latter, in others as 
greatly inferior, in number. The eggs (two or three in number) 
vary greatly in colouring,—from a warm stone-colour, through 
shades of brown, to pale green or light olive-green. The spots 
and blotches vary too, and vary greatly, in number, size, position 
