GLAUCOUS GULL. 345 



as recorded by Mr. Stevenson, "Zoologist," 1882, 

 p. 375) ; Dr. Babington obtained a fine male from Mr. 

 Lowne, of Yarmouth, shot off that place on the 16th 

 January, 1881 ; and, on the 26th of the same month, 

 Mr. George Smith, of Yarmouth, alone had twenty- 

 seven glaucous gulls brought to him by the Yarmouth 

 fishermen and gunners, seven of which were mature 

 birds, nineteen immature, and one in change. It is im- 

 possible to say how many of these birds were killed at 

 that time, or what proportion of them could be claimed 

 as Norfolk-killed specimens. Probably most of those 

 brought in by the fishermen were killed on or near the 

 Dogger bank; but, from information collected by Mr. 

 J. H. Gurney, jun., it appears that from forty-five to 

 fifty were offered in the flesh at Yarmouth alone. The 

 weather at the time was of unprecedented severity, a 

 terrible gale blowing from the east-north-east, the ane- 

 mometer on the 18th registering a velocity of 548 miles 

 in the twenty-four hours, and on the 19th 410 miles, 

 accompanied by a heavy fall of snow and intense frost, 

 a storm which will long be remembered for its terrible 

 severity and the fearful loss of life attendant upon the 

 shipping disasters off our coast. On 19th October, 1887, 

 Colonel Feilden found a dead glaucous gull, on Wells 

 beach. 



The carnivorous propensities of the gulls are too well 

 known to need any illustration.* In November, 1847, a 

 young glaucous gull (referred to above) was shot at 

 Horsey in the act of preying upon a dead coot, which 

 had just been shot as it rose out of a " reed-bush," and 

 the gull, which with many others was flying over- 

 head, immediately alighted, and was itself killed while 

 standing upon it. This bird, with its intended prey, 

 was purchased at the sale of Mr. Rising's collection by 

 Mr. Gunn. From the stomach of a young glaucous 

 gull, killed off Cromer on the llth October, 1886, Mr. 



* When the operation of flensing whales in the arctic seas is 

 in progress, these birds, in large numbers, are constantly present, 

 and the whalers avail themselves of their rapacious appetites to 

 play off many practical jokes upon them. I am told the size of 

 the pieces of blubber they will swallow is simply astonishing. 

 2v 



