BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 129 



be seen around this spot. They are very pugnacious, 

 and I have seen several of them mobbing a sedate 

 old Heron which had unwarily wandered over their 

 nesting grounds and which flew from its small 

 adversaries in evident alarm. 



During the nesting season the male birds go 

 long distances from their usual haunts, to return 

 at sunset, and very beautiful they look as they 

 wend their way westwards, with the setting sun 

 tinging their breasts and wings with pink. The 

 majority of the young birds are strong on the wing 

 by the latter part of June, at which time the journey 

 to the sea coast is begun. On their way down, the 

 birds remain in the neighbourhood of villages for 

 considerable periods, and a splendid chance is 

 afforded the ornithologist of making photographic 

 studies of them if the trouble is taken to throw 

 out food ; as almost instantaneously hundreds of gulls 

 congregate and devour whole platefuls of fat, bread, 

 etc., in a remarkably short space of time. 



The Gulls at this time have begun to lose their 

 breeding plumage, and patches of white may be 

 noticed on their black heads ; indeed, it is hard 

 to believe that the birds of this year are of the same 

 species as their parents, as the former have very little 

 white on them and their feathers are almost all of a 

 dirty brown colour. Ah 1 through July the Gulls gradu- 

 ally dwindle in numbers, until by the end of the 

 month hardly any except young birds are to be met 

 with at a distance from the sea coast, although 

 they may be seen haunting the estuaries of rivers. 



I would appeal for the better protection 

 of this beautiful little Sea-Gull, as, taken all 

 over, it does a great deal more good than harm. 

 Its chief food in spring is the grub so injurious 



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