THE OOLOGIST "5 
Snakes. 
Mr. Perez (Oologist, No, 274, p. 62), 
and others may be interested to learn 
that the apparent dislocating of the 
jaw noticed when a snake swallows a 
large object is a perfectly normal ac- 
tion, many bones of the head being 
so articulated as to allow of great free- 
dom of movement, The digestive fluids 
of the snake’s stomach will easily dis- 
solve egg shells. The snake suffers 
no inconvenience whatever, either 
from the great distention of the mouth, 
or the difficulty of obtaining nourish- 
ment from an egg that he may have 
swallowed whole. 
J. O. SNYDER. 
The Black Headed Gull on 
Leman, Switzerland. 
(Larus ridisundus) 
Upper parts pearl-grey; wings with 
the exception of the primaries, which 
are white, edged and tipped with black, 
also pear] grey; head blackish brown: 
neck, rump and tail white; under 
parts also white; feet, legs and man- 
dibles bright red. Winter: the same 
with the exception of the head which 
changes to white with a small brown- 
ish patch on the hind part of the 
crown. There is also a small circular 
patch just in back of the auriculars. 
Young: of a general mottled brown; 
a black band across the end of the 
Lake 
No. 34 Young Black-headed Gull, Mt. Grammont, Vevey, Switzerland. 
Photo by P. G. Howes. 
