122 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 



the quiet of the evening flying noisily up to their 

 nesting haunt. 



The young birds when fully fledged are of a 

 dark brown colour, even darker than a Curlew, 

 and would certainly not be taken for Gulls by the 

 novice. For some weeks they remain in the valleys, 

 near where they were hatched ; but by the end of 

 August both young and old have left for the coast, 

 where they will remain until the voice of spring 

 calls them once more to the mountains. 



THE BLACK-HEADED GULL 



THE Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) is one 

 of the most numerous of our sea-birds, and is met 

 with abundantly in suitable localities through- 

 out the British Isles. Its chief nesting haunt is 

 Scoulton Mere, in Norfolk, where it congregates in 

 thousands during the nesting season, and where at 

 one time the surrounding farmers made a consider- 

 able sum by selling the eggs. 



During the memorable winter of 1895, when 

 Kingfishers were found frozen fast on rails, the 

 Black-headed Gulls left their haunts by the sea- 

 coast and were driven inland by the almost com- 

 plete absence of food. On their way up the Thames 

 they were received in London with open arms, 

 many of the poorer inhabitants dividing their 

 scanty meal with the confiding sea-birds ; while 

 men made small fortunes by selling sprats to en- 

 thusiastic bird-lovers on the Thames Embankment. 

 Ever since then the Black-headed Gulls have visited 

 London regularly every autumn, and it is a very 

 pretty sight to see them catching on the wing the 



