OUR PETS. 69 



gray back, and black-tipped wings — her head proudly 

 erect, and every movement of her elegant form the 

 perfection of tender grace and stately dignity, march- 

 ing backwards and forwards, as though asking for 

 approval, and pleased with the admiration she seemed 

 conscious of inspiring. This bird was quite an institution 

 about the house for I think at least five- and-twenty years. 

 She is associated with ray very earliest memories ; and 

 for years after I no longer resided in the old home, but 

 annually visited it, it was no small delight to me to 

 find my dear old friend healthy, hearty, and beautiful 

 as ever. 



Another of our pets was a Lesser black -backed 

 gull; but she kept closely to the garden, which she 

 manifestly regarded as her especial domain, if one might 

 judge from the violent indignation she exhibited, and 

 the furious rage into which she wrought herself if any 

 other bird, or a dog or cat, were introduced or showed 

 face within the precincts of her half-acre. Some injury 

 to her wing in her scorie days rendered her unable to 

 fly ; but indeed, even if she could have used her wings, 

 it would have been a great risk to allow it ; for this 

 species, as I have mentioned, unlike the Herring- 

 gull, regularly migrates southwards on the approach of 

 winter ; and probably the instinct to move off with her 

 kind would have proved too strong for her local attach- 

 ments, and we should have lost her. She died a 

 natural death, at the advanced age of twenty-four. 



Another of our pets was a Greater black-backed 

 gull, an immense burly fellow, a sort of alderman 



