10 Mr. W. H. Turle— ^ Visit 



Rocks. During both my visits to the Little Skellig I never 

 noticed any immature birds; all were evidently intent on 

 breeding only. 



Larus mauinus. 



The Great Black-backed Gull is by no means a common 

 bird on those parts of the Irish coasts which I have visited. 

 I took a nest with three eggs on Inishvickillane the day after I 

 landed_, and on the following day I took several fine clutches 

 on luishnabro, the adjoining island. I also took some eggs on 

 the Thunder Eock^ an ofi'shoot of Inishvickillane. They 

 generally lay three eggs, never more to my knowledge. A 

 few pairs were breeding on Inishtoorskert and a pair or two 

 on Puffin Island and the two Skelligs, but there are no great 

 colonies as there are of the Herring Gull. I was also told 

 by the lighthouse-keeper on luishtearaght that they breed 

 there, but personally I did not see any. 



Larus canus. 



The Common Gull is also one of the rarer Gulls on the 

 Irish coast. I only found it nesting on the Blaskets, and 

 there only on Inishnabro, in very small numbers. 



Larus ridibundus. 



I was surprised to find a small colony of Black-headed 

 Gulls breeding on Beginish, a small island between the Great 

 Blasket and the mainland. This island is quite low, and 

 not more than 50 feet above the sea. The nests were placed 

 near the centre of the island, on soft marshy ground, around 

 which rushes were growing. 



Larus argentatus. 



Herring Gulls were constantly to be seen. I found a small 

 colony breeding on the grassy slopes of Inishvickillane, and a 

 much larger one on Inishnabro, not very far from the summit 

 of the island ; we often found half a dozen nests in as many 

 square yards. They were breeding in some numbers on 

 Inishtoorskert and Inishtearaght, and less plentifully on 

 Puffin Island, Great numbers were breeding on the Little 

 Skellig and also on the Great Skellig. 



