12 THE SHORE BIRDS. 



LESSER BLACK Not by any means a common gull, but there are 

 GULL. a ] wa y s a f ew o f j-hjs S p ec i es a mong the hordes of 

 laridae which at times cover the shore. 



HERRING GULL. One of the commonest of the gull tribe with us. 

 The immature birds, of a grey colour all over, are 

 more often obtained than adults. They take two 

 full years to develop their full plumage. 



COMMON GULL. Common indeed all along the coast line. Their 

 numbers can be fairly imagined when I say an 

 average flock will cover an acre of sand. When 

 these birds are seen inland, the farmers consider it 

 a sign of approaching bad weather, and I always 

 find this warning as good as a barometer, 



BLACK HEADED Breeds in small numbers in the sandhills every 

 spring, and is often seen nesting close to the colonies 

 of terns, or sea swallows, which remain with us for 

 the summer. 



MASKED GULL. A specimen of this rare gull is reported to have 

 been shot during the winter of 1876 by Mr. Hubert 

 Braddyll, then of Jesus College, Cambridge, but I 

 cannot say where the specimen has got to. 



GLAUCUS GULL. Another very rare gull. The late Mr. H. Dunford 

 (Larus Caucus.) sta ted (" Zoologist," 1874) that he picked up an im- 

 mature bird, with a broken wing, on the Formby 

 shore on November 8///, 1873. 



LITTLE GULL. A rare winter visitor. "One killed at Formby." 

 (Lanu wimitns.) (Byerly, " Fauna of Liverpool.") 



