610 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



change from this plumage in my tame ones is the 

 13th of October, 1867, the year following their cap- 

 ture : " One of the Gulls assuming his grey plumage, 

 many of the gull-grey feathers appearing amongst 

 the brown ones on the back and scapulars : at this 

 time it very nearly agrees with the young Common 

 Gull (described at p. 602) ; the others are still much 

 in the same plumage they were in last year." The 

 next note is in May of the following year, 1868 : 

 " The Gulls have their bills all yellow now, except a 

 small band of black all round near the tip ; irides 

 light greyish yellow." Then, on the 8th of July : 

 " The most forward of the Gulls has just grown one 

 new quill-feather, black with the white spot at the 

 tip, and the black on the bill is reduced to a small 

 spot near the tip, and the red is just appearing on 

 the angle of the lower mandible : " this afterwards 

 disappeared and has not yet returned. Towards the 

 end of July the}' began to change towards winter 

 plumage, for the heads and necks, which had just 

 become quite white, then got gradually streaked with 

 pale dusky brown : on the 8th of August the most 

 forward completed his white tail. At the present 

 time (the end of January, 1869) the irides of all are 

 pale yellow ; the bills yellow, except a black patch 

 about the angle of the lower mandible, which extends 

 up the sides of the upper mandible, but not over the 

 ridge, the extreme tips are pale horn-colour; the 

 gull-grey is gradually supplanting the brown on the 



