220 



THE OOLOOIST 



low tree; the old bird was much at 

 home sitting on her eggs as would be 

 a Woodpecker or any other cavity 

 nesting species. 



A 



Herring Gull. 



Larus argentatus. 



Doubtless nearly every one who 

 visits the haunts of this bird is more 

 or less familiar with its appearance. 

 It is a large, clean looking species 

 some 4y 2 ft. in extent. The young of 

 the year have a brown appearance; the 

 birds of the second year a mottled or 

 marbled aspect, and the adults of three 

 -or more years are white with pearl- 

 gray backs, a little black on tips of 

 primaries, and bill is yellow with ver- 

 milion spot near top of under mandi- 

 ble, while feet are flesh-color and iris 

 is white. It is said that a bird of this 

 species has been known to live 44 

 years. 



The birds range from Cuba in win- 

 ter to the Arctic in summer. They 

 are especially abundant along the New 

 England coast during fall, winter and 

 spring, and a careful observer will note 

 a few during the summer months, 

 which fly down from their southern 

 breeding limit, in search of food. Also 

 they may at times be seen migrating 

 over the land, flying very high. . -__. _ 



During the present winter I have 

 observed thousands of these along 

 Cape Cod. At Providence one is en- 

 abled to study them at close range. 

 Large flocks frequent the wharves and 

 harbor, where considerable refuse is 

 obtainable from the wholesale fish 

 houses and their fleets. Here, when a 

 favorable feeding place was located, 

 a large number of birds would congre- 

 gate and hundreds would swim grace- 

 fully around the spot. Occasionally 

 one would duck its head and disappear 

 for a second or two under water, it 

 would probably emerge with a small 

 dead fish, or a piece of fish, and take 



wing to avoid having the morsel 

 snatched from its mandibles by a com- 

 panion. In doing this it would strike 

 the water three or four times with its 

 webbed feet to gain impetus, and then. 

 give itself two or three vigorous 

 shakes in the air to rid its plumage of 

 water. It would then draw up its 

 feet so that they were not noticeable, 

 and gracefully fly to a distance to en- 

 joy its food. No doubt, it would soon 

 return for more, as hundreds of the 

 birds were circling over the spot. 



Several years ago I spent a week on. 

 the Nova Scotia coast, in the vicinity 

 of Annapolis Bay, and noticed that 

 this was the most common gull at that 

 place. The excessive tides of the Bay 

 of Fundy expose an abundance of food 

 for the sea birds there. I have observ- 

 ed a bird of this species which follow- 

 ed a steamer for twenty-five miles. 

 This is a habit, the purpose of which- 

 is to gleam the refuse thrown over- 

 board. 



These birds utter a whining, or dis- 

 tressed note in a low tone and also 

 have a harsh "kuk" which they occa- 

 sionally utter six or eight times, and 

 •also a more pronounced "chee-ah". A- 

 few White-winged Scoters were with 

 the flocks at Providencetown. The lat- 

 ter seem to feel secure if the gulls 

 show no suspicion. 



At Plymouth I noticed a few Great- 

 blacked Gulls with this species, and 

 the Herring Gulls were trying to rob a 

 flock of Redbreasted Mergansers of 

 their catches. The latter were too 

 agile, however, for the gulls. There 

 were about twenty Mergansers in flock 

 and in an hour's observation I failed to 

 see a gull get a fish. The Mergansers 

 got them, but by rapid swimming and 

 diving managed to retain their prey. 

 I thought they seemed to enjoy out- 

 witting the gulls, for the Mergansers 

 did not seem inclined to leave the spot. 

 At times these gulls succeed in steal- 

 ing from the Mergansers. 



