394 NATATORES. 



its food in the fresh waters, on the little islands among which 

 it nestles. Those inland habits in the breeding time have 

 procured it a number of names similar to those of land or 

 marsh birds. It has been called peewit or lapwing gull ; the 

 inhabitants of Orkney call it the sea-crow, and in some places 

 it is called the mire-crow. Some of its habits are indeed 

 similar to those of the crow tribe, more especially of the 

 rook ; and when ground is newly turned up in the neighbour- 

 hood of their breeding places, these gulls and the rooks may 

 be found together, picking up apparently the same food in 

 the same manner, and neither of them offering hostility to 

 the other. 



The nests are found on the smaller hummocks, or " tumps'* 

 in the fens or marshes, the tops of which are paddled flat by 

 the feet of the birds previous to the eggs being deposited. 

 The eggs are two or three in number, of an olive colour, with 

 darker blotches ; but they are liable to considerable varia- 

 tions of colour, both when dropped and after they have been 

 soiled by the feet of the parent bird. 



On the nest, the female sits quite exposed, but in such a 

 manner as to command readily the whole horizon around her; 

 and thus she is as well protected as those birds which nestle 

 in cover. These gulls make a great deal of noise previous to 

 changes of the weather ; and when the air softens and pro- 

 mises rain after long-protracted drought, and thereby puts 

 the lesser mire and sludge animals into motion, the gulls are 

 all activity and clamour. 



They follow the habit of most birds which are social among 

 each other, and with other species in the breeding season, in 

 being tamed without much difficulty ; but as they are, during 

 part of the year at least, very discursive, it is not likely 

 that colonies of them could be made to settle and l^reed, 

 though in that case they would be highly ornamental, 

 and also render considerable service in clearing gardens 



