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THE COMMON GULL BREEDING ON 

 DUNGENESS BEACH. 



BY 



N. F. TICEHURST, m.b., f.r.c.s.eng. 



In a History of the Birds of Kent (pp. 516, 518) I recorded 

 the nesting of single pairs of the Herring- and Lesser Black- 

 backed Gulls {L. a. argentatus and L. f. affinis) on Dungeness 

 beach in 1908. Since then one or more pairs of the former 

 have made some attempt at nesting in most years, but never, 

 so far as I can ascertain, with any success, probably owing 

 to the fact that they have always tried to do so within the area 

 occupied by the Black-headed Gulls {L. ridibundus). 



It had never occurred to me, however, considering the 

 distribution of the species and its affinity for inland fresh- 

 water localities as a breeding-place, that it could be possible 

 for the Common Gull (L. c. cantis) to essay a like venture. 

 It was with considerable surprise therefore, that, during a 

 visit to that area in company with Mr. W. H. Mullens and 

 Mr. M. J. Nicoll, on May 28th, 1919, we found a pair of Com- 

 mon Gulls circling high overhead in the middle of a large 

 colony of Common Terns (5. hinmdo). Like the Herring- 

 Gulls, when first we made their acquaintance they circled 

 round persistently over one spot, and so we retired to a distance 

 to watch them. Identification owing to the brilliance of the 

 sun and the height at which they were flying was difficult 

 and uncertain at first, but they quickly now began to sink 

 lower and eventually settled on a shingle ridge, where we had 

 an excellent view of them and satisfied ourselves of their 

 identity. Within a few minutes of settling one of them walked 

 a few yards and sat down on the nest. On reaching it, we 

 found that it was a very scanty affair of dead grass built in a 

 horse's hoof-print where a cart track crossed the summit of 

 a ridge. Unfortunately it contained two Black-headed Gull's 

 eggs and one of a Common Tern. We subsequently learned 

 that the nest had already been found some time before by 

 one of the watchers and that in the interval someone else 

 had robbed it and made the substitution. Had any further 

 evidence of identity been necessary it was now furnished by 

 the voices of the birds as they sailed in close circles over us, 

 angrily squealing their protests at our intrusion. 



During a second visit to the area on May 31st with Mr. 

 Nicoll, we found three more pairs of Common Gulls, which we 



