GULLS AND TERNS. 23 



most familiar birds of the coast, especially in the 

 more northerly portions of the British Islands. It 

 is a more trustful species than its larger ally, admits 

 man to approach it with less show of fear or 

 wariness, and may often be seen on the meadows 

 and ploughed fields near the sea, seeking for 

 its food as familiarly as a Rook or a Daw. 

 Singularly enough, the east and south coasts of 

 England are not resorted to by this Gull for 

 breeding purposes. It is not known to breed south 

 of the coast of Northumberland, or east of that of 

 Devonshire ; and this is all the more remarkable, 

 seeing that one of its most important colonies in 

 our area is situated upon the Fame Islands. It 

 breeds locally from Cornwall to the Solway, but 

 further northwards becomes more generally dis- 

 persed, right up to the Orkneys and the Shetlands. 

 In Ireland, again, this Gull is a very local breeder, 

 and is only known to nest in one or two localities. 

 During the non-breeding season it wanders far 

 from home, and may then be met with on and 

 off most of the British coasts : young and immature 

 birds do not resort much to the nesting colonies, 

 but roam widely at all seasons. It is a very 

 remarkable fact that adult Gulls of this species are 

 so rarely seen near Heligoland, as the species 

 breeds commonly on the Baltic and Scandinavian 

 coasts, and yet its average appearance at the island 

 is about once in ten years ! The Heligolandish 

 name for this Gull is very appropriate, signifying 



