684 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



LITTLE GULL, Larus minutus. A few specimens 

 of this pretty little Gull have been taken at Weston- 

 super-Mare* and other parts of the county, but 

 although not so rare as the last-mentioned species, 

 it must nevertheless be looked upon, especially in 

 our county, as a rare straggling visitor : in the neigh- 

 bouring county of Devon it occurs more frequently, 

 but neither there nor in any other part of England 

 can it be considered very common. The majority of 

 the specimens that occur in England make their 

 appearance in the autumn, and are in immature 

 plumage ; although some do appear at other times 

 of the year, and in perfect summer plumage. But 

 little seems to be known about the breeding places 

 or habits of this bird. Yarrell says, on the authority 

 of Prof. Nilsson, that it is a summer visitor to the 

 marshes in the vicinity of the Baltic and Gottland, 

 where it breeds, but he gives no account of the nest. 



The food of the Little Gull consists of small 

 fish, worms and insects, amongst others the slender 

 dragonfly.! It is occasionally seen seeking for food 

 in company with flocks of Terns. One specimen 

 I killed at Teignmouth was in company with a 

 large flock of Kittiwakes, eagerly engaged with them 

 in search of small sprats, which were just then 

 extremely plentiful on that coast. 



* * Zoologist ' for 1863, p. 8692. 

 f Id., 1867 (Second Series), p. 916. 



