184 THE NATURALIST IN NORWAY. 



teemed as an article of food. It is called in Norway 

 the hav-maage, or sea-gull. 



The lesser black -backed gull (L. fuscus) is found 

 generally throughout Norway, on the west coast in 

 January and February, during the herring fishery. In 

 summer it visits the coast of Finmark. It is called 

 here the silde-maage, or herring gull, for when the 

 shoals of herrings make their appearance off the west 

 coast of this country, and get into the shallow water, 

 this bird is seen skimming the surface of the sea, and 

 seizing any straggling young herrings which sport 

 near the top of the water. When the fishermen see 

 the herring gulls approach, they know that the fishes 

 are in the neighbourhood. The appearance, therefore, 

 of this bird is always considered a welcome sign on 

 the west coast. It feeds principally on young her- 

 rings, in pursuit of which, it dives to a considerable 

 distance under water. The nest is made on barren 

 land near the sea, and on rocks. The eggs vary much 

 in colour, and are grayish-brown, pale green, or olive- 

 green, marked with red-brown and dark brown spots. 



The glaucous gull (L. glaucus) is found in Greenland, 

 Iceland, and Spitzbergen ; a few also breed on the coast 

 of West Finmark, as well as near the Yaranger-fjord 

 in East Finmark. It is common in winter off the west 

 coast of Finmark and Nordland. It is called here the 

 Spidsberg-maage, or Spitzbergen gull. It is of large 

 size, being two feet six inches long, and will eat 

 almost anything; and when pressed by hunger in 

 winter, it even subsists on the excrement of other 

 birds. It has a strong penchant for the eggs of other 

 sea-birds, especially for those of the eider-duck, as 

 well as for her ducklings. The nest is made on a 



