380 BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



proach to man, and keeps, as much as possible, out of his 

 reach. It floats gracefully in the air, till something attracts its 

 attention, when it descends in a spiral curve, and seizing a 

 fish, flies off", alights and swallows it at leisure. When satis- 

 fied with food, they rest themselves by swimming in parties on 

 the waves, their white plumage contrasting strongly with the 

 deep green of the sea. When spring has commenced, the gulls 

 assemble in flocks, on flats and beaches, and when paired, fly 

 off" to their breeding places, which Audubon found in great 

 numbers in Labrador, and the eastern part of Maine. Part of 

 their food consists of shell-fish, which, being unable otherwise 

 to break the shell, they are said to carry high into the air, and 

 to let them fall on the rocks below. 



The Silvery Gull, Larus fiiscus, is found on our coasts in 

 winter, and is said to breed, both in the northern regions, and 

 in islands near South Carolina. 



The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is, according to Dr. 

 Brewer, the most common species in the State. Audubon 

 found them breeding at an island in the Bay of Fundy, where 

 he was assured that, formerly, all made their nests, like other 

 seabirds, on the ground ; but finding that they were often dis- 

 turbed by intrusive visiters, they had, many of them, adopted 

 the practice of building in trees, a reach of sagacity one would 

 hardly hav^ expected from such a quarter. The younger ones 

 still build on the earth ; but, while those which are hatched 

 below run about in a few days, those which are in the trees, 

 do not undertake to leave their nests till they are able to fly. 

 The same distinguished ornithologist saw one of these birds 

 which had taken a very hard shell-fish, carry it into the air 

 and let it fall without eff'ect ; it tried the experiment again, 

 and yet a third time, when it succeeded ; the gull, after each 

 failure, carrying it higher than before. Much of their food 

 consists of herrings, which they catch by following the shoals ; 

 they sometimes feed on small birds, and suck all the eggs they 

 can find. 



