BIRD-LIFE ALONG THE SHORE. 199 



ever and wherever we may wander along the coast 

 Gulls of some species or other are sure to be 

 met with sooner or later. Of these by far the 

 most numerous and widely dispersed is the 

 Herring Gull. From one end of the southern 

 coast-line to the other this Gull is the most 

 familiar species, and we should also feel inclined 

 to assert that it is the only member of the family 

 that breeds upon it. In this part of the county 

 Gulls are most numerous after the breeding 

 season is over. Then the Herring Gulls are 

 reinforced by large arrivals of Kittiwakes, Com- 

 mon Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, and in smaller 

 numbers the two species of Black-backed Gulls. 

 These latter birds are by far the least numerous, 

 the larger species, Larus marinus, occasionally 

 appearing in the Tor Bay district in pairs or 

 solitarily. We have a record, however, of a large 

 flock of these birds on the beach at Livermead 

 after a spell of very rough weather. The Devon- 

 shire breeding place of this handsome Gull is on 

 Lundy Island. The smaller species of Black- 

 backed Gull, Larus fuscus^ also has no nesting 

 place on the southern coast-line, although it has 

 been recorded from the vicinity of Bolt Head 



