90 ICELAND GULL. 



occur every winter in Unst and the other islands. Mr. Robert 

 Dunn shot an adult specimen at the end of the year 1847, 

 and another on the 22nd. of November, 1852. In Orkney 

 one or two have been obtained. 



It is a very rare species in Ireland; but two have occurred 

 there. 



In their natural habits they are not so shy, and Faber has 

 mentioned one which used to come to his door at a certain 

 time every morning to be fed. They also follow the boats 

 of the fishermen to pick up what they can. 



They soar at times high in the air. They swim well. They 

 often sit together by hundreds on the ice. 



They feed on fish, Crustacea, mollusca, and anything else 

 that is eatable. They are, in fact, equally indiscriminate as 

 the rest of their congeners in their choice, or rather their 

 taking of their food without choice, 'fish, flesh, and fowl,' 

 being all alike to them. 



The Iceland Gull builds on the face of a precipice or cliff, 

 but at a rather low height. It shares the place with other 

 species. 



The eggs are of an olive green colour, spotted with two 

 shades of brown. 



Male; length, one foot ten inches; bill, yellow, the tip and 

 base deeper-coloured than the rest, the angle on the lower 

 side of the under mandible red; iris, pale yellow, the eyelids 

 red. Head, crown, neck, and nape, white, the former in the 

 winter months spotted with grey; chin, throat, and breast, 

 white. Back, very pale bluish grey. The wings, when closed, 

 reach about or nearly two inches beyond the end of the tail; 

 greater wing coverts, very pale bluish grey; lesser wing 

 coverts, also pale bluish grey, the tips white; primaries, white, 

 pale greyish towards the base, the shafts white; secondaries, 

 white; tertiaries, white; greater and lesser under wing coverts, 

 white. Tail, white; upper tail coverts, white. Legs and toes, 

 pale yellowish red. 



The female in the second year is white, mottled all ovtr 

 with yellowish brown, each feather having a central mark of 

 that colour, most so on the primaries, tertiaries, and tail. 



The young are of a pale fawn-colour. Bill, pale yellow at 

 the base, the front portion blackish horn-colour; iris, dark 

 brown at first, afterwards pale greyish yellow. Head, crown, 

 neck on the back, and nape, dull white, clouded with pale 

 greyish yellow brown; chin, dull white. Throat and breast, 



