THE COMMON GULL 245 



deep sea-water lochs. In some places almost every island 

 contains a few nests, .and on the larger ones the colonies of 

 birds become more extensive. In most cases, however, the 

 nests are scattered up and down a considerable extent of 

 ground. One of the largest colonies of these birds I ever 

 visited was established on a rather low island which sloped 

 up from a sandy beach and fell down in many parts in small 

 cliffs to the sea. It was covered with long grass and patches 

 of heath, and where the turf was shortest big masses of 

 rugged rock were exposed, and in some places the ground for 

 many square yards was composed of the flat top of a piece of 

 rock. Here and there were several rocky hillocks covered 

 with turf, sloping on one side, falling down in steep rugged 

 descents on the other. The Common Gulls were to be seen 

 standing on these rocks and little eminences long before we 

 landed, and a few birds kept rising from and dropping into 

 the herbage again, or hovering some distance in the air, as if 

 watching our approach. As soon as we landed and crossed 

 the bit of sandy beach the birds began to rise. From all 

 parts of the island fluttering Gulls rose from the tall herbage 

 and the exposed rocks, and soon the air was full of them, all 

 uttering their harsh note of yak-yak-yak most persistently. I 

 found their nests in various situations. Some were built in a 

 crevice of the bare rocks, others wer,e deep amongst the tall 

 grass and heath ; many were made in shallow hollows in the 

 bare turf, and one nest was built in the little cliff overlooking 

 the sea. The nests varied a good deal in size, those in the 

 most exposed situations being the smallest indeed, some of 

 these latter were little more than depressions in the ground. 

 They were made of heather branches, turf, dry grass, and bits 

 of seaweed, and some were lined with grass almost fresh and 

 green. Most of the nests contained eggs, but some were 

 evidently only just finished and empty. The eggs are three 

 or four in number, various shades of olive-brown in ground 



