BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 115 



GULL, COMMON. 



Description of Parent Birds. Length about 

 eighteen inches. Bill rather short, slightly curved 

 downward at the tip, and yellow in colour. Iridea 

 orange-brown. Head and neck snowy-white. Back 

 and wings French grey ; tips of wings black, spotted 

 with white, on account of some of the primaries 

 having white ends. Tail-coverts and quills snowy- 

 white. Chin, throat, breast, belly, and vent snowy- 

 white. Legs, toes, and webs greenish-yellow. 



The female is similar in plumage, but slightly 

 smaller in size. 



Situation and Locality. On the ground amongst 

 heather and coarse grass ; on ledges and in crevices 

 of rock round the coast of Scotland ; on islands ; in 

 inland lochs and tarns ; also in suitable places in 

 Ireland, but now nowhere in either England or 

 Wales. Our illustration was procured on the West 

 Coast of Scotland. 



Materials. - - Heather, dry seaweed, and dead 

 grass. It may be observed that a^ some what large 

 nest is built as a rule. 



Eggs. Two to four; generally three, huffish- 

 brown or dark olive-brown in ground-colour, spotted, 

 blotched, and streaked with grey, dark brown, and 

 black, irregularly distributed. Size about 2 '25 by 

 1*65 in. The smallness of the spots and the 

 size of the eggs enable collectors easily to identify 

 them. 



Time. May and June. 



Remarks. Eesident, but subject to local move- 

 ment. Notes : a kind of squeal. Local and other 

 names : Winter Mew, Sea Mew, Sea Mall or Maw, 

 Sea Gull, Sea Cob, Blue Maa. Gregarious. A 

 light sitter, and clamorous when disturbed, 

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