SEA GULLS. 273 



house-keeper added, that he had sometimes sat 

 down within a few yards of their nests, which only 

 caused them to get on the wing for a few minutes 

 as if to remonstrate with him, and then they resumed 

 their places again. 



The species of gull that inhabit the rock, are for 

 half the year much dispersed at sea and along the 

 coast, and are never seen in great numbers except 

 where there is a fishery ; but it is a very extraor- 

 dinary fact, that they all come to the rock in one 

 night, which the light keepers say is on the 1 2th of 

 February. They make a vast noise on their meet- 

 ing as if it were a mutual cheering, and the keepers 

 declare that their feelings are exceedingly enlivened 

 when they first hear them, as if announcing the 

 winter over and a new spring opening upon them. 

 In fact their return is hailed as that of so many old 

 acquaintances after a long absence. The birds on 

 their first arrival appear to congregate on the rock 

 without any order whatever, but in the course of a 

 month they are observed together in pairs, and hav- 

 ing selected the spot for their future operations, the 

 shelving bank and hollows of the rocks are literally 

 covered with them ; their noise and movements 

 afford great additional interest to the spot, and are 

 viewed by many of its visitors with much curiosity, 

 particularly when they are allowed to approach the 

 nests. These birds although encouraged and pro- 

 tected on the rock, are not without their troubles 



N 3 



