BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 203 



breeding in Guernsey or Sark, and only a very few 

 at Alderney ; in fact, Ortack being the only place 

 in the Channel Islands in which they do breed in 

 anything like numbers. 



Professor Ansted includes the Herring Gull in 

 his list, but only marks it as occurring in Guernsey 

 and Sark. There are two, an old and a young bird, 

 in the Museum. 



168. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Lams fuscus. 

 Linnaeus. French, " Goeland a pieds jaunes."- 

 The Lesser Black-backed Gull is common in the 

 Islands, remaining throughout the year and breed- 

 ing in certain places. None of these birds breed 

 in Guernsey itself, or on the mainland of Sark, 

 and very few, if any, on Alderney. A few may be 

 seen, from time to time, wandering about all the 

 Islands during the breeding- season ; but these are 

 either immature birds or wanderers from their own 

 breeding- stations. About Sark a few pairs breed 

 on Le Tas* and one or two other outlying islets ; 

 their principal breeding-stations, however, appear 

 to be on the small rocky islands to the north of 

 Herm, on all of which, as far out as the Amfrocques, 

 we found considerable numbers breeding, or rather 

 attempting to do so ; for this summer, 1878, having 



* Le Tas is often written L'Etat, but, as Professor Ansted 

 says, " There can be no doubt it alludes to the form of the 

 rock, viz., ' Tas,' a heap such as is made with hay or corn," 



