LONDON BIRDS 49 



had had the opportunity of making close acquaintance 

 with the bird in one of the chief of its native 

 strongholds Iceland reported that he had seen 

 what he was satisfied was a Glaucus Gull soaring 

 in circles over the ornamental water. The bird was 

 not apparently quite satisfied with what it saw, and, 

 without alighting, sailed off while he watched it in the 

 direction of the east coast. Its return has since been 

 watched for, but though more than once a solitary 

 Gull, which may not improbably have been the same 

 bird, has been noticed, it has always as yet been too 

 far off to be identified with certainty. 



The Glaucus nowhere in the British Isles a very 

 common bird is a large Northern Herring Gull, with 

 white primaries in place of the black feathers which 

 tip the wings of its common cousin, and is easily 

 recognised. It is the ' Burgomeister ' of Dutch whalers, 

 owing its title to the respect it exacts, in scrambles for 

 blubber, from the common herd. 



The pinioned Herring Gulls, which act as decoy ducks 

 for their freer brethren, breed regularly in St. James's 

 Park, and an attempt has lately been made, with some 

 prospect of success, to start a breeding colony of the 

 little ' Brown-headed ' on the south-west corner of the 

 peninsula. 



On the 30th May 1888 a Cormorant in full breeding 

 plumage white patches on cheek and thigh appeared 

 unexpectedly on the water in St. James's Park. He 

 was first noticed by the keeper at half-past eight in 

 the morning, and was tame and hungry enough to 

 D 



