ICELAND GULL 443 



In the first issue of the 'Irish Naturalist,' viz., 1S92, 

 Mr. Warren details an interesting account of a visitation of 

 Iceland and Glaucous Gulls to the Irish coast, in January 

 and February, 1892. They were observed chiefly on the 

 north-west coast, extending their range to the southern 

 counties. 1 Prior to this time the Iceland Gull was looked 

 upon as a very rare Irish bird, but owing to the investi- 

 gations of Mr. Warren, who became acquainted with it 

 in 1849 in Cork Harbour, and has furnished us with a long 

 list of occurrences 2 chiefly from the west, 3 but also from 

 the southern coasts, it is now known beyond doubt that 

 as far as Ireland is concerned, the Iceland Gull occurs as 

 frequently as the Glaucous Gull, if not in larger numbers. 

 This, Mr. Warren says, may be accounted for by the fact 

 that the chief breeding-haunts are in Arctic America, and 

 so the Atlantic-facing shores of Ireland are more in the 

 line of the southern migration than those further east ; 

 the Glaucous Gull, on the other hand, breeding further 

 eastward, is the more numerous species along English and 

 Scottish shores. 



Iceland Gulls have been observed and shot from time 

 to time on the Dublin coast. On March 4th, 1900, a fine 

 specimen, which had almost assumed the mature plumage, 

 was obtained in Kingstown Harbour. 4 The late Mr. E. 

 Williams, to whom the bird was sent for preservation, wrote 

 me, "I interviewed Mr. Higginbotham, who shot the Ice- 

 land Gull, and he states that in Kingstown Harbour it was 

 fiercely mobbed by Herring-Gulls and others. Could they 

 have mistaken it for an albino of their own species, for 

 there was another Iceland Gull in the same place, much 

 more straw-coloured and mottled, I suppose younger, and 

 this was unmolested ? The pale flight-feathers were very 

 pretty and beautifully contrasted with those of our own 

 Gulls, which looked blacker than ever." 



1 There were five Glaucous Gulls recorded from Rathlin, Donegal, 

 Mayo, and Galway, and eleven Iceland Gulls from Donegal, Mayo, and 

 Kerry. In May, 1892, an Iceland Gull was obtained in Cork (Ussher). 



2 See also Ussher, Birds of Ireland,' p. 344. 



3 To which may be added a capture from Galway, on February 

 23rd of the present year. This specimen, a female in immature plumage, 

 was generously presented to me by Mr. W. Milne, who shot it. (Plate 

 XLVL, figs, land 2.) 



4 Through the kindness of the late Mr. E. Williams, I was enabled to 

 examine this bird in the flesh, freshly killed, from which I made 

 measurements. 



