During the severe winter of 1894-95 hundreds of Hiack-headed and 

 Common Gulls came to be fed in the gardens in front of Eglinton Crescent, 

 Hdinburgh, and sat on the railings and garden seats waiting till their food 

 was thrown out ; they appeared regularly every morning during the severe 

 frost, and were very tame. 



The eggs of the Black-headed Gull vary in number from two to three, 

 four being occasionally found, and are subject to great variation in size, shape, 

 and colour. Sometimes the three eggs in one nest will be quite different, 

 both in colour and in the character of the markings, hence it seems probable 

 that the birds do not always lay all their eggs in the same nest, as one often 

 finds two very dark brown eggs and one very pale bluish green egg in one 

 nest, or two light eggs and a very dark one. The ground colour varies from 

 a pale bluish green to light buff or very dark brown, blotched, spotted or 

 fantastically streaked with rich dark brown surface spots, and underlying 

 spots of greyish brown or purple grey. One variety, which I have often come 

 across, has no surface spots, and shades from very dark brown on the large 

 end to pale greenish blue on the small end ; these eggs have usually a very 

 thin, rough shell. Another very handsome and rare variety is entirely of a 

 rich red colour. They vary in length from 2'5 to 1*9 inches, and in breadth 

 from i '5 to i'3. Young in down are buff, palest on the under parts, and 

 spotted on the upper parts with dark brown. 



2A 



