THE GULL. 405 



others would alight within a few yards, and conning us over 

 with a vacant simple stare, kept repeating their plaintive, 

 melancholy, imploring sort of note. While, on the other 

 hand, a pair or two of the black-backed Gulls (Lams 

 marinus) from time to time sailed by, and then dropping 

 on their inaccessible ledge, reconnoitred us with a scrutinizing 

 look, from their keen, suspicious, penetrating eye. The 

 former, barely opening their comparatively slender beaks 

 enough to give vent to a gentle cry, seemed to say, " We 

 are poor harmless creatures ; do not hurt us." The latter, 

 on the other hand, the moment they had alighted, opening 

 theirs as wide as possible, uttered a loud hearty scream, as 

 much as to say, " This is our territory ; you have no business 

 here." Not far from the resting-place of this pair of black- 

 backed Gulls, a couple of the common sort had, when we last 

 visited this interesting spot, established themselves on a bit 

 of a plateau, that made one giddy to look at, and quite 

 tremble for the fate of their sole offspring, a little gray, 

 downy-covered nestling, with about half an inch between its 

 toes and destruction, for a breath might have blown it over : 

 but there stood the little tottering bird, quite at its ease, so 

 well tutored apparently, that when the old ones successively 

 returned with food, it betrayed none of those emotions 

 common to young birds, which would certainly have thrown 

 it off its balance ; no tremulous movement of its flappers, no 

 impatient stretchings of its neck, no gapings of its mouth. 

 There it stood, motionless, as if conscious of the dangers 

 attendant on even the slightest bustling display of satisfac- 

 tion. It was impossible not to feel something like pity for 

 the dull life it was doomed to lead in such a cradle ; it being 

 evident that, from the moment of its quitting its egg-shell, 

 to that hour, the choice of standing on its right or left leg, 

 or a cautious putting forth of one foot before the other, to 

 the extent of a few inches, was the only source of amuse- 

 ment or variety within its reach. It was curious to observe 

 the proceedings of many of the older birds. The din was 

 incessant, and some seemed quite exhausted with screaming, 

 or hearing others scream j for they might be seen flying off 



