358 BIEDS OF DAMARA LAND. 



of whales and seals, and also devouring freely dead rats, 

 birds, or fish, as well as worms, insects, and shell-fish ; 

 besides which it is very destructive to the eggs of other 

 sea-fowl. I have been assured on excellent authority 

 that it carries off whole, and with perfect facility, the 

 eggs of Penguins and Gannets to some distant rock, 

 where it devours them at leisure. It is also said that 

 this Gull has the singular habit of destroying its own 

 eggs if it finds that its nest is in danger of being robbed 

 of them by any person who is seeking to gather them. 



The breeding-places of this species are the rocky 

 islets off the south-west coast, to which it resorts for the 

 purpose of incubation about the month of December. 

 Its eggs vary much in colour, being of various shades of 

 green, drab, or brown, profusely blotched and spotted 

 with dark brown, especially at the larger end. 



This Gull is easily caught with a hook and line ; and 

 specimens so captured are frequently offered for sale in 

 Cape-Town market. 



When kept in captivity it becomes quite tame and 

 perfectly fearless. 



[I am not aware that any complete figure of this Gull has 

 been published. ED.] 



413. CirrhocephalllS poiocephalllS (Swains.). African Grey- 

 headed Gull. 



Larus poiocephalus, Swainson's Birds of W. Afr. vol. ii. pi. 29. 

 Xema phceocephala, Strickland & Sclater, Birds Damar., Contr. Orn. 



1852, p. 160. 

 Larus poiocephalus, Layard's Cat. No. 683. 



