BIRDS 



tion, and one of the latter was picked up in a 

 pond at Tostock 28 April, 1897. 



247. Sabine's Gull. Xema sabinii (Joseph 



Sabine) 



This small fork-tailed gull, which seems 

 like a link between the terns and gulls, is a 

 very rare visitant from arctic America. Two 

 were shot on Breydon in October, 1881, and 

 a third at Lowestoft 18 October, 1901 (Zsa- 

 logtity 1902, p. 93), all of which were young 

 birds. 



248. Little Gull. Larus minutus, Pallas. 



In the winter of 1869-70 there was a 

 considerable migration of little gulls to the 

 east coast, and it is now not very rare as an 

 autumn and winter visitant. An exceptional 

 occurrence was recorded in the Field of 1867 

 by Mr. Hele, who shot 'on May 22 a little 

 gull in the Thorpe Mere in immature but 

 very handsome plumage. It was in company 

 with several little terns and tolerably easy of 

 approach. The bird (a male) had been feed- 

 ing upon the slender dragon-fly so common 

 hereabouts. The flight of the little gull 

 almost exactly resembled that of the little 

 tern.' This specimen, with an old bird in 

 winter dress shot in 1870, is in the Ipswich 

 Museum. One was shot at Thorpe 26 Sep- 

 tember, 1 87 1 (Hele). 



249. Black-headed Gull. Larus ridibundus, 



Linn. 

 Locally, Peck-mire, Coddy-moddy. 

 This is the only gull which is known ever 

 to have bred in East Anglia, and there is only 

 one record of a ' gullery ' in Suffolk, of which 

 Professor Newton furnished the particulars 

 for the Birds of Norfolk (iii. 323). ' The ex- 

 tinct Brandon gullery was on a small mere 

 perhaps half-a-mile from the Brandon and 

 Mildenhall road, and so close to the Wang- 

 ford boundary that in one place the Wang- 

 ford warren-bank may be said to have touched 

 the water — indeed, in a wet season, I have 

 seen the water come through on the Wang- 

 ford side. On the 9th April, 1853, Gathercole, 

 who had been warrener on Wangford for 

 twenty-two years, told my brother and my- 

 self that the " coddy-moddies " left off breed- 

 ing there several years ago.' The bird is 

 still common enough, especially the young in 

 autumn. 



250. Mediterranean Black - headed Gull. 



Larus melanocephalus, Natterer. 

 As its name suggests this is a southern 

 species, of which a single bird wandered to 

 Breydon and was shot on 26 December, 1886 

 {Zoologisiy 1887, p. 69). 



251. Common Gull. Larus canus (Linn.) 

 Locally, Cob, Sea-cob, Sea-crow (inland). 



The presence of this and other gulls on 

 the east coast at all times of the year may be 

 accounted for by the fact that these birds do 

 not assume full plumage for some years, and 

 do not breed till they assume it. Hence there 

 are birds of any age from one to four years 

 with nothing to keep them in one place for a 

 week at a time, and they may be seen on the 

 coast any day. The common gull is often 

 seen flying over inland, and the appearance 

 of a flock is supposed to foretell stormy 

 weather, though when they are flying to- 

 wards the north or east the exact opposite is 

 the case. Most gulls seen inland are of this 

 species, which is not known to breed any- 

 where in England or Wales. 



252. Herring-Gull. Larus argentatus (J. F. 



Gmelin) 



This fine bird, of which the nearest breed- 

 ing places are on the Yorkshire cliffs, is not 

 uncommon as an autumn and winter visitant, 

 especially in the sprat season. 



253. Yellow-legged Herring - Gull. Larus 



cachinnans, Pallas. 

 Like L. melanocephalus only one specimen 

 of this bird has been obtained. It was shot 

 on Breydon 4 November, 1886, but not 

 fully identified or recorded for some years 

 {Zoologist, 1897, p. 572). 



254. Lesser Black-backed Gull. Larus fuscus, 



Linn. 

 Locally, Saddle-back or Black-back. 

 Fine old birds of this species often occur in 

 July and August on migration, and the young, 

 which are very similar to those of the herring- 

 gull, are common. It does not appear to 

 remain on the east coast in winter, and is 

 practically a summer migrant to England. 



255. Great Black -backed Gull. Larus 



marinus, Linn. 

 Locally, Saddle-back or Black-back. 

 No English winter is too severe for this 

 magnificent sea-bird, which frequents our 

 coast all the year. In the perfect black and 

 white plumage which it is said not to assume 

 for four or five years it is rather rare, but 

 young birds are common enough. 



256. Glaucous Gull. Larus glaucus, O. 



Fabricius. 



This large gull is a winter visitant from 



the far north, and not uncommon in hard 



winters. In January, 1881, nearly thirty 



were obtained near Yarmouth, of which only 



III 



