The Birds of Skye. 139 



eye to be of a creamy white, but my binoculars revealed the 

 mottled wing coverts. 



We landed, hoping to stalk it ; but the whole company of 

 Gulls rose again, and returned to the troopship, the Glaucous 

 being again one of the last to rise, and departing leisurely, 

 with slow, regular beats of the wing. It was shot by Shaw 

 the same afternoon. 



On July 10th, 1885, Shaw observed a similar Glaucous in 

 Loch Pooltiel, but tried in vain to get a shot. He volunteered 

 that it closely resembled the April bird, but was of a purer 

 cream colour. We searched for it subsequently, but it had 

 disappeared. In the following December two more immature 

 birds haunted Dunvegan Loch, and the smaller bird was shot 

 by Shaw.^ On dissection, it proved to be a female, the 

 stomach distended by the remains of small fish. A fiue 

 immature Glaucous Gull, which I have examined in the 

 possession of Mr F. P. Johnson of Castlesteads, Brampton, 

 Cumberland, was shot by that gentleman on Loch Bracadale 

 in the winter of 1881-82, when ''following the carcase of a 

 dead cow." A similar but larger specimen was obtained at the 

 same time and place. Captain Macdonald informs me that 

 though he has met with the Glaucous Gull in Skye on several 

 occasions, he considers that it is a very infrequent winter 

 visitant. He observed a single bird at Waternish in the 

 winter of 1881-82, and shot another at Stein in February 

 1886. Mr Dumville Lees has never met with it in Skye. 



I did not hear the April bird utter any cry ; but that of a 

 pinioned bird at the Zoological Gardens may be described as 

 a deep monosyllabic "bark," strikingly unlike the shriller 

 cries of other Laridm. 



The irides of this bird, an adult, are pale yellow ; those of 

 the April bird being dark brown, and those of the December 

 bird dark blue. Tarsi, toes, and webs are pale flesh-colour in 

 all three specimens. 



Lams leucopterus. — Casual visitant of rare occurrence. 

 When driving to Hamar, November 29, 1883, we obtained a 



1 A large immature bird was shot at Miloveig, 31st March 1886, and proved 

 to have been feeding on oats. Others were seen at Galtrigill, and a party- 

 wintered in the Sound of Harris {fide Sheriff Webster). 



