BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 199 



Herring Gull ; they were shot on the same day, 

 and appear to me to be one exactly a year older 

 than the other ; they were killed in November, 

 when both had clean moulted, and show examples of 

 the second and third moult. No. 1, the oldest, has 

 the back nearly uniform grey, and the rump and 

 upper tail-coverts white, as in the adult. In No. 2, 

 the younger one, the grey feathers on the back were 

 much mixed with the brownish feathers of the 

 young bird, and there are no absolutely white 

 feathers on the rump and tail-coverts, all of them 

 being more or less marked with brown. The 

 tail in No. 2 has the brown on it collected in large 

 and nearly confluent blotches, whilst that of No. 1 

 is merely freckled with brown. But perhaps the 

 greatest difference is in the primary quills; the 

 first four primaries, however, are much alike, those 

 of No. 1, being a little darker and more distinctly 

 coloured; in both they are nearly of a uniform 

 colour, only being slightly mottled on the inner 

 web towards the base ; there is no white tip to 

 either. In No. 1 the fifth primary has a distinct 

 white tip ; the sixth also has a decided white tip, 

 and is much whiter towards the base, the difference 

 being quite as perceptible on the outer as on the 

 inner web. The seventh has a small spot of brown 

 towards the tip on the outer web, the rest of the 

 feather being almost uniform pale grey, with a 

 slightly darker shade on the outer web, and white 



