Vol. XII. 

 1913 



] Stray Feathers. ^79 



Gulls Nesting in Captivity. — In December, 1909, when returning 

 from Port Lincoln, I was presented with a pair of Seagulls (white, 

 with slate -coloured backs and black-tipped feathers in the wings). 

 These birds were only " squeakers " then, and had to be fed on raw 

 meat daily, but gradually began to forage for grubs, &c., in my 

 garden at Kensington Park, and now do not require to be fed at 

 all. As they grew older they made nests in different parts of the 

 garden, and sat at times like broody fowls for several weeks, but 

 did not lay until the 17th July, 1912, when one egg was laid ; a 

 second egg was laid two days later. The first young one appeared 

 on 7th August, but the second egg was hatched at least three days 

 later. These two young birds are now fully fledged, but have a large 

 number of brown feathers on the back. The old pair again started 

 nesting in November, the first egg appearing on the 12th, the second 

 four days later. Two young birds appeared on the 8th December. 

 The old birds, taking turn and turn about, sat very closely ail the 

 time. These young ones are now running about, but are shy, and 

 hide in the grass when anybody approaches. The nest was made of 

 grass and feathers against a wire-netted fowl-run, backed up by 

 some broken garden tiles. The greater part of my land is used for 

 gardening purposes, and I have never found the birds do any 

 damage to the young plants or be a nuisance. They will now eat 

 almost anything, but object to hard-shelled snails, although they 

 eat them at times if the shells are broken. I find these birds make 

 good "watch-dogs," as they always call out when any stranger 

 goes into the garden. — Harry F. King. Adelaide, 25/12/12. 



Silver Gull (Larus novae-hoUandiaB). — Mr. G. M. Mathews in his 

 work, -'The Birds of Australia," is setting ornithological field 

 workers many problems, which it is hoped will be faced by 

 R.A.O.U. workers. In part 4, vol. ii., our familiar Silver Gull is 

 placed in the genus Bruchigavia of Bonaparte (1857). The genus 

 Larus of Stephens dates from 1826, so that I cannot understand 

 why Mr. Mathews has, to my mind wilfully and unreasonably, 

 abandoned his fetish of priority. He divides the old and well- 

 known species into five — a type and four sub-species. Those birds 

 found round the coasts of New South Wales and Victoria are taken 

 as the type under the cognomen of Bruchigavia novcs-hollandics 

 novcB-hollandicB ; those round the north coast, and as far south on 

 the eastern side as the Capricorn group as B. n. gouldi, while those 

 found in Bass Strait and about Tasmania are designated 

 B. n. gunni ; the South Australian birds are called B. n. ethalce ; 

 and lastly those found about the south-west and the north-west 

 are set down as B. n. longrirostris. To a great extent the variation 

 in the markings on the four first primaries has been taken as the 

 grounds for separating the birds. 



Full size black and white drawings of the primaries of the four 

 birds first mentioned are given by Mr. Mathews, and these show a 

 marked difference in the "mirrors." I give the foregoing 



