BIRDS OF THE SEASHORE 105 



Nest. May or June. One brood. 



Site. In a burrow made by the bird in soft peaty 

 soil ; or in holes in rocks, or under rocks. 



Materials. If any, a few dead grasses or stalks. 



Eggs. One. Pure white, smooth in texture, and 

 always retaining a peculiar musky odour. 



LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (Lams fuscus). 



Well distributed, but not so abundant as the 

 Herring Gull. Its chief breeding stations are Lundy 

 Island, Welsh coast, Walney Island, Isle of Man, 

 Cumberland, Westmoreland, Shetlands, Orkneys, and 

 other Scottish islands, Fame Islands, Cornwall, Devon- 

 shire, and Channel Islands. 



Plumage. Back and wings black, but tipped with 

 white on scapulars and secondaries ; primaries blackish 

 tipped with white, the rest pure white. Bill, legs, and 

 feet yellow. Length 21 in. Female similar. In winter, 

 head and neck streaked with brown. Young : parts 

 white in adult mottled with ashy-brown, and where 

 black in adult mottled with ruddy brown ; in fact, 

 it is like the young Herring Gull. Nestling : covered 

 with greyish buff down on upper parts ; head, neck, and 

 back marked with brown ; under parts paler greyish 

 buff. 



Language. A cackling kind of yelp, like the Herring 

 Gull's, but, il anything, scarcely so harsh. 



Habits. Closely resembling the Herring Gull. 



Food. Like Herring Gull. 



A^s*. May. One brood. 



Site. Like Herring Gull. 



Materials. Like Herring Gull. 



Eggs. Two or three. Variable, and practically in- 

 distinguishable from the Herring Gull's. They are, 

 however, slightly smaller, and exhibit a tendency 

 towards bluish green in ground colour rather than olive- 

 brown. 



