THE BLACK-HKADKD GUI.L. BIRDS. THE ARCTIC SKUA. 



429 



and tipped with white ; and the lower surface white. 

 The Little Gull is rather a rare bird in this country, but 

 is more common in Southern Europe. It is said to 

 feed upon insects and worms. 



THE BLACK-HEADED GULL (Xema ridibunda),vfliich 

 is widely distributed in the northern parts of the Old 

 World, is abundant throughout the year on our low 

 marshy coasts, where it breeds. It is frequently found 

 at great distances inland, not only following the ploughs 

 to pick up insects and their larvae, but even taking up 

 its abode upon lakes and other large sheets of water. 

 This bird is about sixteen inches in length, and has the 

 head and upper part of the neck dark brown, the back 

 and wings French gray, with some of the primaries 

 edged with black, and the rest of the plumage pure 

 white ; the bill and feet are bright red. The Black- 

 headed Gull feeds on small fishes, insects, and worms. 

 Its flight is light and buoyant, and its note is a hoarse 

 cackle, having some resemblance to a laugh, whence 

 the specific name of the bird is derived. The nest of 

 this species is made amongst the herbage of the marshes 

 which it frequents. 



THE LAUGHING GULL (Xema atricilla), a very simi- 

 lar species to the preceding, both in appearance and 

 habits, is abundant on the North American coasts, and 

 also visits the European shores. 



THE KITTIWAKE (Rissa tridactyla} is an example 

 of a small group of Gulls, in which the hinder toe 

 is represented only by a small tubercle, without 

 any trace of a claw. It is abundant on many parts of 

 the British coasts, and extends hence to the highest 

 northern latitudes. The Kittiwake has the plumage of 

 the back and wings delicate French gray, the outer 

 margin of the first primary and the tips of the succeed- 

 ing ones black, and the head, neck, and lower surface 

 pure white ; the bill is greenish-yellow, with the inte- 

 rior of the mouth orange. The wings are very long 

 and pointed, crossing, when closed, above the tail. 

 This bird breeds on the ledges of lofty and precipitous 

 cliffs, forming a nest of sea-weeds, and usually laying 

 three eggs. 



THE IVORY GULL (Pagophila eburnea) is distin- 

 guished by the pure and delicate white of the whole 

 of its njumage ; it has a yellow bill with a greenish 

 base, and black feet. When alive the plumage of 

 this bird is said to exhibit a delicate rosy tint, which 

 vanishes soon after it is killed. The whole length is 

 from sixteen to eighteen inches. The arctic seas are 

 the chief resort of the Ivory Gull, which is very rarely 

 seen so far south as the British islands. Notwith- 

 standing the delicacy of its appearance, it is a most 

 voracious bird, and by no means particular in its choice 

 of food ; like the Fulmar it greedily devours any float- 

 ing carrion or other animal matter, and is a constant 

 attendant upon the whalers during the operation of 

 flensing or cutting the blubber off the whales. 

 . THE COMMON SKUA (Lcstris cataractcs}. The 

 Skuas, although nearly allied to the ordinary gulls, 

 are distinguished from them by the possession of a 

 more powerful, hooked beak, in which the base of the 

 upper mandible is covered with a cere, and by their 

 large and strongly-hooked claws. These characters 

 indicate very predaceous habits, and the Skuas are to 



be reckoned amongst the most raptorial of the aquatic 

 birds. 



The Common Skua is an inhabitant of the arctic 

 seas, and visits the British shores chiefly in the winter. 

 This, or a very nearly allied species, is also found 

 abundantly about the Falkland Islands, the Straits of 

 Magellan, and other parts of the antarctic ocean. It 

 is of a dark-brown colour, slightly variegated with 

 reddish-brown ; the primaries are marked with dirty 

 white near their base ; the two middle tail-feathers are 

 scarcely longer than the rest ; and the bill and feet are 

 black. The length of the bird is about two feet. 



The Skua is generally seen in pairs. Its flight is 

 exceedingly rapid and powerful, and it avails itself of 

 this advantage to chase the smaller gulls and compel 

 them to give up the fishes which they have just caught, 

 rarely taking the trouble of fishing for itself. It also 

 preys upon its smaller neighbours, and displays its 

 analogy with the Kaptorial birds by tearing its prey to 

 pieces with its bill, securing it the while by means of 

 the crooked claws with which its toes are armed. This 

 bird breeds upon the rocks, and lays two or three eggs. 

 It defends its young with great courage, and will even 

 beat off the eagle if he comes too near its place of abode. 



THE AECTIC SKUA (Lestris parasiticus) is consi- 

 derably more abundant in Britain than the preceding 

 species, and even breeds on our northern shores. It 

 is readily distinguished by its much smaller size, by 

 the elongation of the central feathers of the tail, and 

 by the pale colour of the lower surface. In its habits 

 it resembles the Common Skua. Two other species 

 the POMARINE SKUA (L. pomarinus] and BUFFCXN'S 

 SKUA (L. Buffonii) are found on our coasts ; the 

 latter is a very small species, measuring only twelve 

 inches in length to the extremity of the very elongated 

 middle tail-feathers ; it has the neck and breast white. 



THE BLACK SKIMMER (Rhynchops nigra). The 

 preceding species, with many others scattered over 

 the seas of nearly the whole world, may all be re- 

 garded as true Gulls; but we come now to an example 

 of a small subordinate group, which differs from 

 them in some very peculiar characters. The most 

 striking peculiarity of the Skimmers is to be found 

 in the form of their bill, which suffices to distin- 

 guish them at once from all other birds. This organ 

 is elongated and compressed, almost resembling a 

 pair of blades placed one above the other ; the upper 

 mandible is considerably shorter than the lower one, 

 which consequently projects some distance beyond it. 

 The wings are long and pointed, indicating great 

 power of flight, and the tail is forked. The Black 

 Skimmer is an inhabitant of the coasts of America, 

 from the Straits of Magellan to the United States. 

 It is about nineteen inches long, black above, with 

 a white band on each wing, and white beneath ; the 

 bill and legs are red. Supported on its long and 

 pointed wings, which sometimes extend fully forty 

 inches, the Skimmer darts swiftly along the surface 

 of the ocean, dipping the extremity of its curious bill 

 into the water as it moves along, for the purpose of 

 capturing the small fishes and Crustacea upon which it 

 chiefly feeds. This, however, is not, according to 

 Lesson, the only use of the bill ; that writer states. 



